Social support among gender diverse people: Are we measuring what we think we are?

Abstract

Background

To assess social support among gender diverse people, measures normed and validated with cisgender participants are used, most commonly the Multidimensional Scale of Social Support (MSPSS). Despite widespread use, the psychometric properties of the MSPSS have not been systematically investigated among gender diverse people. Thus, it is unclear whether use of the MSPSS is appropriate for this population.

Method

Using a mixed-method approach (e.g. deductive thematic analysis and confirmatory factor analyses), we explored the factor structure of the MSPSS among gender diverse participants (N = 428). The study was conducted in Canada between 2019 and 2020.

Results

After running confirmatory factor analyses on MSPSS items, the factor structure differed from prior studies of cisgender participants. First, support from a significant other did not correlate with support from family or friends, suggesting its inclusion in a global measure of social support may distort findings when all domains are combined. Second although social support from family and friends emerged as two separate domains, qualitative data suggested that the boundaries between these forms of support were unclear. A deductive thematic analysis further highlighted properties of the scale that may not align with gender diverse peoples’ experiences.

Conclusions

Overall, these findings raise questions about the interpretation of the MSPSS when used with gender diverse people and suggest that an adapted or newly developed measure is needed.

Keywords:

• Gender diverse people
• multidimensional scale of perceived social support
• non-binary
• psychology
• psychometrics
• transgender

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the subjects of this study for their participation and contribution.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the Queen’s University General Research Ethics Board (GREB) and took place within a larger ethics approved longitudinal study (GPSYC-936-19; #6027170).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, (C.B.). The data are not publicly available due to the sensitive nature of the research and the possibility that their containing information could compromise the privacy of the research participants.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by a Research Leaders’ Fund award (part of the Queen’s Research Opportunities Funds) through the Office of the Vice-Principal (Research) at Queen’s University awarded to Dr. Jeremy Stewart and Dr. Caroline Pukall.

Notes on contributors

Caitlin Barry

Caitlin Barry – Caitlin (they/she) is a second year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University. Their current research, which is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), focuses on the patient experiences of gender diverse Canadians.

Suraya Meghji

Suraya Meghji – Suraya (she/her) is a research assistant in the Sex Lab. She specializes in conducting qualitative and thematic analysis.

Victoria Jackman

Victoria Jackman – Victoria Jackman BComH (she/her) is a Doctor of Medicine student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her research interests include chronic pain, equity, diversity, and inclusion and advancing accessibility in healthcare.

Camden Trepanier

Camden Trepanier – Camden (he/they) is a fourth-year undergraduate student in Psychology at Queen’s University. They are currently a volunteer research assistant with the Sexual Health Research Lab with a particular interest in research supporting positive outcomes for gender diverse individuals.

Shannon Coyle

Shannon Coyle – Shannon (she/her) is a research associate in the Sexual Health Research Lab at Queen’s University in the Department of Psychology. She is also a part-time professor at St. Lawrence College teaching courses in Human Sexuality, Sociology, and Psychology.

Jill A. Jacobson

Jill A. Jacobson – Jill (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Queen’s University. She leads the Motivation and Social Cognition (MaSC) Lab and teaches graduate courses on measurement, multivariate/multivariable statistics, factor analysis and structural equation modeling, and multilevel modeling.

Jeremy G. Stewart

Jeremy G. Stewart – Jeremy (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Center for Neuroscience Studies at Queen’s University. He directs the Queen’s Emotions and Risky Behaviors in Youth (QuERBY) Laboratory, and his research program focuses on understanding the onset and progression of self-injurious behaviors in adolescents and young adults.

Caroline F. Pukall

Caroline F. Pukall – Caroline (she/her/elle) is a Canada Research Chair in Sexual Health, Professor of Psychology, Supervisor of the Sexual Health Research Lab, and Director of the Sex and Relationship Therapy Service at Queen’s University. Her work focuses on sexual wellbeing, patient reported outcome measures, genitopelvic dysesthesias, and relationships.