Psychometric characteristics of the Duke Social Support Index in a young rural Chinese population.

The study is aimed to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Duke Social Support Scale (DSSI) in young rural Chinese individuals (379 suicides, 411 controls) aged 15-34 years. Social support was measured by 23-item DSSI, which included Social Interaction Scale, Subjective Social Support, and Instrumental Social Support. DSSI had high internal consistency (alphas all over .79) and correlated with hopelessness and anxiety in both samples. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the structure models of DSSI were basically suitable for the original structure of DSSI but some items should be modified or deleted. Altogether, these findings support that DSSI has high reliability and validity, which makes it an acceptable measure for social support in young Chinese populations. However, further model tests should be carried out by deleting or modifying some items or being used in different populations.