Psychometric Analysis of a Scale to Assess Norms of Reciprocity of Social Support in Community-Based and Congregation-Based Groups

Reciprocity, a core component of social capital, is rarely theorized or measured leaving the relationship between reciprocity and health ambiguous. Historically, reciprocity measures have not been used in the context they were designed causing measurement error. This multi-phased study was designed to develop and validate a reciprocity measure for formal and informal groups within communities and congregations as part of a more comprehensive social capital measure. In-depth interviews ( n = 72), cognitive interviews ( n = 40), and an expert review panel guided item development and selection for content validity. South Carolina residents ( n = 500) completed the 10-item Reciprocity of Social Support (RSS) Scale during 2008-2010. Construct validity was supported through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) that confirmed a two-factor model for the scale for community- and congregation-based groups. Cronbach’s α values indicated items were highly correlated for community groups and church groups. Psychometric analyses of the RSS Scale support convergent and divergent validity for the community- and congregation-based groups. Mean RSS Scale scores were not statistically different between community- and congregation-based groups. This scale has proven psychometric properties for utilization in future research investigating reciprocity of social support in community- and congregation-based groups and will be useful to examine whether reciprocity (by context and type of group) is associated with physical and/or mental health.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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