Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS): A Full Guide for Researchers and Clinicians.
By ResRef
Published
Learn about the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS): what it measures, how it is scored and interpreted, and how researchers and clinicians use it.
Introduction
Social support plays a decisive role in coping with stress, adapting to chronic illness, and maintaining psychological well-being. However, research consistently demonstrates that perceived support and received support represent distinct psychological constructs and produce different effects on health outcomes. Therefore, standardized instruments must distinguish among these dimensions rather than treat social support as a single concept. The Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS), developed by Ralf Schwarzer and Ute Schulz at Freie Universität Berlin, provide a theory-driven, multidimensional framework for measuring cognitive and behavioral aspects of social support. Since its publication in 2003, the BSSS has accumulated more than 1,500 citations and has consequently established itself as a cornerstone tool in health psychology, stress research, and chronic disease studies.
This article presents a clear, structured overview of the BSSS, including its purpose, structure, scoring, reliability, applications, and practical use in research and clinical settings.
Key Features of the BSSS
Purpose and Use
The Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS) is designed to measure the multidimensional nature of social support, assess perceived and received social support, and evaluate cognitive and behavioral aspects of social support. In addition, the BSSS assesses the quantity, type, and function of social support in both general and stressful circumstances; furthermore, it investigates dyadic support interactions during stressful situations.
Unlike brief support questionnaires, the BSSS belongs to the social psychology domain and focuses specifically on social support processes during stress and illness. Moreover, the BSSS targets several subdomains, including Perceived Emotional Support, Perceived Instrumental Support, Need for Support, Actually Received Support, Protective Buffering, and Social Support Seeking.
Target Population
The BSSS is validated for adults aged 18 years and older, including:
Young adults (18–24 years)Middle-aged adults (25–44 years)Older adults (45–64 years)Seniors (+65 years)It is not validated for children or adolescents.
Structure
The BSSS consists of 52 items distributed across six subscales, each capturing a unique dimension of social support:
Perceived Emotional Support: Assesses the belief that individuals have people in their lives who care for them and provide emotional support.Perceived Instrumental Support: Evaluates the belief that individuals can rely on others for practical help, such as assistance with tasks or resources.Need for Support and Support Seeking: Measures how often individuals feel the need for support and actively seek it from others.Actually Received Support: Assesses the extent to which individuals have received emotional and instrumental support in a specified timeframe.Protective Buffering: Evaluates behaviors aimed at shielding significant others from stress-related concerns by withholding worries or negative information.Social Support Seeking: Focuses on the behaviors individuals engage in to seek out support from their social networks.Scoring Method
The Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS) uses a 4-point Likert scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = somewhat disagree, 3 = somewhat agree, and 4 = strongly agree. In addition, negatively worded items require reverse scoring. Researchers calculate scores as either sum scores or mean subscale scores, while higher scores indicate higher levels of social support. However, the BSSS does not include a universal clinical cut-off because researchers primarily use it as a research-oriented instrument.
Administration Format
The BSSS typically requires 10–15 minutes to complete.
It can be administered through:
Paper questionnairesDigital formsMobile applicationsInterviews (in-person or remote)Phone/Video CallNo training is required, as it is fully self-administered.
Applications of the BSSS
The BSSS supports several clinical and research objectives:
Screening psychosocial support patternsMonitoring support dynamics during illnessTreatment planning in chronic conditionsResearch on stress, coping, and resilienceFor example, discrepancies between perceived and received support often predict psychological distress, making the BSSS particularly valuable in longitudinal studies.
Languages and availability
The BSSS is available in:
EnglishGermanFrenchSpanishPolishMoreover, the questionnaire is free for clinical and research use and distributed under an open-access model.
Reliability and Validity
The Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS) demonstrate high reliability and strong psychometric validity, supported by multiple validation studies across different populations.
The internal consistency of the BSSS subscales, measured using Cronbach’s alpha, ranges between 0.71 and 0.93 depending on the subscale.
Reported reliability values include:
Perceived Social Support (8 items): Cronbach’s α = .83Received Social Support – General Score (11 items): Cronbach’s α = .83Need for Support (4 items): Cronbach’s α = .63Support Seeking (5 items): Cronbach’s α = .81Protective Buffering (6 items): Cronbach’s α = .82Provided Social Support – Partner Sample (11 items, spouses only, n = 175): Cronbach’s α = .75These values indicate that the BSSS maintains consistent measurement across its multidimensional structure. Supported by multiple validation studies, including:
The original study: LinkCanadian version: LinkSouth African version: LinkPalestinian version: LinkPolish version: LinkLimitations and Considerations
Despite its strong theoretical foundation and psychometric properties, the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS) have several important limitations that researchers and clinicians should consider:
Self-report measure: Responses may be influenced by personal interpretation and subjective perception.Cultural bias: Some items may not translate equivalently across different cultural or social contexts.Length (52 items): The full version may be time-consuming for participants in busy clinical or large cohort settings.Lack of sensitivity to change: The BSSS may not always detect small changes in social support over short follow-up periods.Social desirability bias: Participants may overreport supportive behaviors or underreport difficulties in seeking support.Other Versions And Related Questionnaires
The BSSS pairs well with other social support measures, including:
Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): Perceived support from family, friends, and significant others.Social Support Scale (SSS): Focuses on general support perception, not support behavior. Often used in stress and coping research.Brief 2-Way Social Support Scale: Designed for large epidemiological surveys and rapid psychosocial screening.Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ): Adds quantitative network size and satisfaction metrics.ENRICHD Social Support Instrument (ESSI): Useful in cardiology studies alongside BSSS support-process measurementOslo Social Support Scale (OSSS): Provides rapid screening before detailed BSSS assessment.Interpersonal support evaluation list: Expands appraisal dimension not deeply covered in BSSS.Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire: Offers functional detail that complements BSSS behavioral domains.Additional Resources
The original study: LinkBSSS questionnaire PDFFunctional roles of social support: LinkFor inquiries and more information, please try to contact Prof. Ralf Schwarzer: Free University Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: health@zedat.fu-berlin.de .Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who can use the BSSS?Clinicians, researchers, and healthcare providers use the BSSS for adults aged 18 and older in studies involving stress, coping, chronic illness, and psychosocial health.
How long does it take to complete the BSSS?Participants typically take 10–15 minutes to complete the 52-item questionnaire. Shorter versions (BSSS-22 and BSSS-8) require less time.
How is the BSSS administered?The BSSS can be administered via paper forms, digital platforms, mobile formats, or interviews, making it flexible for both clinical and research settings.
Is there any cost to using the BSSS?The BSSS is open access and free to use for research and clinical purposes. For more, contact Prof. Ralf Schwarzer: health@zedat.fu-berlin.de.
A Word From ResRef about the BSSS
The Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS) comprises a set of robust, well-validated, and theoretically sophisticated tools; therefore, researchers and clinicians widely value it in both clinical practice and scientific research. Moreover, the BSSS provides comprehensive insight into multiple dimensions of social support, particularly within contexts involving health, chronic illness, psychological stress, and coping processes. Because the scale distinguishes between perceived and received support while also examining behavioral support interactions, it enables a more nuanced understanding of how social relationships influence psychological and physical well-being. Consequently, many studies in health psychology, behavioral medicine, and stress research continue to rely on the BSSS as a reliable multidimensional assessment instrument.
References
Schulz, U., & Schwarzer, R. (2003). Social support in coping with illness: The Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS). Diagnostica, 49(2), 73–82. linkDiMillo, J., Hall, N. C., Ezer, H., Schwarzer, R., & Körner, A. (2019). The Berlin Social Support Scales: Validation of the Received Support Scale in a Canadian sample of patients affected by melanoma. Journal of Health Psychology, 24(13), 1785–1795. linkRoomaney, R., Kagee, A., & Knoll, N. (2020). Received and perceived support subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scales in women diagnosed with breast cancer attending the breast clinic at Tygerberg Hospital: Structure and correlates. South African Journal of Psychology, 50(1), 54–66. linkJalala, S. S., Veronese, G., Diab, M., Abu Jamei, Y., Hamam, R., & Kagee, A. (2024). Quality of life among residents of Gaza, Palestine: the predictive role of mental distress, fear of COVID-19, and social support. BMC psychology, 12(1), 152. linkŁuszczyńska, A., Mazurkiewicz, M., Kowalska, M., & Schwarzer, R. (2006). Berlińskie skale wsparcia społecznego (BSSS): Wyniki wstępnych badań nad adaptacją skal i ich właściwościami psychometrycznymi [Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS): Polish version of BSSS and preliminary results on its psychometric properties]. Studia Psychologiczne, 44(3), 17–27. linkSchwarzer, R., & Knoll, N. (2007). Functional roles of social support within the stress and coping process: A theoretical and empirical overview. International Journal of Psychology, 42(4), 243–252. link