PSYCHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF A SOCIAL SUPPORT PERCEPTION QUESTIONNAIRE IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Background and objective: Social support has been shown to act as a buffer against stressful events in college life. Social support is derived from the perception of potentially available support derived from the network of people such as family, friends and others. Hence, the importance of validating a social support instrument in the university context due to the specific factors faced by the student at university. Materials and Methods: The present study examined the psychometric properties of the social support perception scale in Peruvian university students. A total of 746 students (405 females and 341 males) between 18 and 29 years of age (mean age = 20.67, SD = 2.76) from 7 university courses participated. Results: The confirmatory analysis verified a satisfactory fit to the 3-factor model (χ2 = 243.32, gl = 74, p < 0.01, CFI = .95, TLI = .93; RMSEA = .055; SRMR = .053). In addition, the three-factor structure was strictly sex-invariant. Reliability was performed by the Omega coefficient (ω), adequate values were reported in the dimensions of family (.82), friends (.84) and others (.72). Conclusions: It is concluded that the Peruvian version of social support has adequate evidence of validity and reliability in Peruvian university students.