title: Validity and reliability of Arabic MOS social support survey.
abstract: We aimed to generate a valid reliable Arabic version of MOS social support survey (MOS-SSS). We did a cross sectional study in medical students of Faculty of Medicine in Khartoum, Sudan. We did a clustered random sampling in 500 students of which 487 were suitable for analysis. We followed the standard translation process for translating the MOS-SSS. We accomplished factor analysis to assess construct validity, and generated item-scales correlations to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity. We extracted the Cronbach's α and Spearman Brown coefficient of spit half method to determine internal consistency. We measured stability by correlation between the scores of the MOS survey taken at two different occasions with ten days apart in 252 participants. All items correlated highly (0.788 or greater) with their hypothesized scales. All items in subscales correlated higher by two standard errors with their own scale than with any other scale. Principle component analysis with varimax rotation was conducted on the 19 items and examination of scree plot graphically suggested 4 predominant factors that account for 72 % of variance. It showed high loadings, ranging from 0.720 to 0.84 for items of emotional support, 0.699-0.845 for tangible support, 0.518-0.823 for affectionate support, and 0.740-0.816 for positive social interaction. Cronbach's alpha for overall MOS scale and subscales indicated high internal consistency. The test-retest correlation showed weak correlation between the test and retest (ranges from 0.04 to 0.104). The Arabic MOS-SSS had high validity and internal consistency.
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dafaalla
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Abdulraheem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farah
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Sheima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Ammar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Rabab
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abdulhamid
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Mousab
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mokhtar
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahadi
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Zulfa
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Omer
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Asgad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suliman
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elkhalifa
authors.affiliation: Soba Centre for Audit and Research (SCAR), Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Alqasr Street, 102, PO Box 321, 11115 Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Hanin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdelgadir
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Abdelmoneim E M
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Kheir
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Soba University Hospital, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Ihab
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Abdalrahman
keywords: Arabic MOS survey; Psychometric properties; Reliability; Social support; Validity