Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Online Social Support Scale

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to develop a Japanese version and a shortened version of the Online Social Support Scale and test their reliability and validity. Method: A 40-item scale was developed with the permission of the original developer to measure online and other social support, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem. Study participants were recruited online using snowball sampling. Internal and test-retest reliability were tested; confirmatory factor analysis was used to test for structural validity, and correlation analysis was used to test for convergent validity. A follow-up survey was conducted 2 weeks later to examine the test-retest reliability of the scale. A shortened 12-item version was also developed and tested. Result: A total of 288 people participated in the survey, of whom 254 (88.2%) responded to the follow-up survey. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.98 for the overall scale and ranged from 0.94-0.96 for the subscales. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.90 for the scale as a whole and ranged from 0.85–0.88 for the subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a four-factor structure with an acceptable model fit. The scale showed a significant positive correlation with social support and a significant negative correlation with depressive symptoms but no significant correlation with self-esteem. The shortened version demonstrated similar reliability and validity. Conclusion: The Japanese version of the Online Social Support Scale showed adequate reliability and some validity, and the short version showed adequate reliability and validity, making them useful tools for measuring online social support in various contexts, such as peer support groups or remote work environments.