Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support for Use with LGBTQ Adults

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people experience marginalization and discrimination due to their sexual orientation and gender identity, negatively impacting their social, physical, mental health, and other health outcomes. Studies on LGBTQ people utilize scales developed largely for cisgender heterosexual (cis-hetero) people. Methods: This study explored the factor structure, construct validity, reliability, and measurement invariance of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet et al., 1988; 2010) using a representative sample of 1436 adults in the United States who ranged in age from 18-72+ years (M = 53.14, SD = 16.87). Roughly one fifth of the sample identified as gender-diverse (19.08%; n = 274) or as a minoritized sexual orientation (20.61%; n = 296) or race or ethnicity (20.06%; n = 288). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported a three-factor measurement model of the MSPSS for adults who identified as gender-diverse or as a sexual minority. Invariance tests revealed thresholds were similar across the cis-hetero, sexual minority, and gender-diverse groups, supporting strong invariance. Further, the MSPSS had good internal reliability and construct validity, suggesting sufficient psychometric evidence for use of the MSPSS to make meaningful comparisons between sexual and gender minority, cisgender, and heterosexual adults in the U.S.