Development of a work/family social support measure

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive measure of social support to include within and across domain support from the organization, supervisor, coworkers, and family for two types of support, emotional, and instrumental. Design/methodology/approach – Four diverse samples were used in an iterative process to develop and provide an initial validation of the 16 dimensions of social support. Findings – The results provide support for the development and initial validation of the 16 dimensions of social support. Research limitations/implications – A cross-sectional design was used and may be problematic when examining relationships that occur over time. Further, capturing all scales with a single survey could result in common method bias, which may inflate predictive relationships. Practical implications – A comprehensive measure of social support can assess the differential effect of various types of social support, which can help in identifying unique work-family variables. The multidimensional measure will allow organizations to better diagnose and address performance issues related to a particular type of support. Originality/value – The study develops a comprehensive measure of social support that can be useful for organizations wanting to diagnose potential support-related issues that may impact important outcomes.