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Researchers introduce the College Student Social Support Scale (CSSSS) and present initial psychometric data. Six-hundred and seven college students (339 females and 268 males), ranging in age from 18 to 31, across three studies, participated in the development and validation of this new self-report measure. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggest the CSSSS is a reliable measure of social support.
In several studies, researchers have focused on the assessment of social support among college students. This is an important area of research because entering college is a major transition that can be considerably stressful. New students quickly encounter other students, faculty, and staff with whom they will be spending their next 4 to 5 years. Leaving home and meeting new people usually leads the students to develop new friendships and acquaintances, also called social support networks (Hays & Oxley, 1986). How new students use these new supports can have a significant effect on how they will adjust to college (Cutrona, 1982). Cutrona found a relationship between new students' self-reported assessment of their social support and subjective feelings of loneliness. Student's adjustment to their new network may affect their global adjustment to college life or their decision to even remain in school (Austin & Martin, 1992).
An initial problem in assessing social support is defining it. Basically, social support is related to an individual's network of social interactions. However, there is no universally accepted definition of this construct. For example, Cobb (1976) stated that social support is information that confirms that an individual is cared for, valued, and "belongs to a network of communication and mutual obligation" (p. 300). Kahn and Antonucci (1980) defined social support as interpersonal transactions of aid, affect, and affirmation. Sarason, Sarason, and Pierce (1990) stated that the essence of a supportive relationship is the communication of love and the belief that individuals who are in one's social environment will be of some assistance in a time of need. Therefore, social support can be viewed in terms of relationships in which individuals feel that they can communicate with others, will be accepted and loved for who they are, and will be helped when in need of assistance.
Other researchers have defined social support by describing the purpose it serves. Caplan (1974)...