Online Social Support Scale
Online Social Support Scale (OSSS) · Also known as: OSSS, Online Social Support, Internet Social Support
The Online Social Support Scale measures the perceived availability and quality of emotional, informational, and practical support received through digital channels—social media, online communities, forums, messaging apps, and digital platforms. Developed by Vilelas and Tomás (2011) for patients with chronic illness and refined by Nick and colleagues (2017), the scale recognizes that social support increasingly flows through digital networks, particularly for geographically dispersed, stigmatized, or medically complex populations who benefit from asynchronous, text-based support.
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When to use it
Measure online social support in patients with chronic illnesses (cancer, diabetes, HIV, rare diseases, mental health conditions) to assess whether they have accessed and benefit from digital communities. Use to identify socially isolated patients who lack both in-person and online support networks and may need active connection to resources. Measure changes in online social support as outcome in interventions facilitating patient engagement with online communities. Include in comprehensive social support assessment alongside in-person support measures to understand patients' total support ecology. Use in health equity research to examine whether online support bridges gaps for populations with limited access to in-person care.
Strengths & limitations
- Captures contemporary support dynamics: Recognizes that support increasingly flows through digital networks; measures a modern phenomenon not captured by traditional social support scales.
- Multi-dimensional assessment: Distinguishes emotional, informational, practical, and companionship support, enabling identification of specific support gaps.
- Inclusive of diverse platforms: Assesses support across varied digital channels (social media, forums, messaging, online communities), not tied to specific platform.
- Particularly relevant for vulnerable populations: Identifies online support benefits for geographically isolated, stigmatized, or rare-disease populations who may lack local in-person communities.
- Does not measure support quality or accuracy: High online support score does not verify that information is accurate or that relationships are genuinely helpful. Misinformation, toxic communities, or exploitative relationships can coexist with high perceived support.
- Potential selection bias: Heavy online community users are more likely to report high online support; individuals avoiding digital spaces may be excluded or underrepresented.
- Confounds online interaction with support benefit: Respondent may report high online support (they receive messages, advice) without demonstrating that support improves health outcomes or coping.
- Platform and community specificity not captured: Support experience varies dramatically across platforms and communities; general scale may miss important contextual variation.
Frequently asked
Is online social support as effective as in-person support?
Mixed evidence. For information-seeking and peer connection, online communities are often superior (wider expertise, 24/7 access, anonymity for sensitive topics). For emotional intimacy and practical crisis support, in-person relationships typically score higher. Most beneficial approach: combination of both types of support.
Can online support communities be harmful?
Yes. Toxic communities can normalize maladaptive coping; misinformation can spread; privacy risks exist; status hierarchies can exclude vulnerable members. Assess not just whether support is present but whether community culture is psychologically safe and health-promoting.
Who benefits most from online social support?
Greatest benefits for: geographically isolated individuals, those with rare or stigmatized conditions, shift workers with unstable schedules, younger people embedded in digital networks, and those with social anxiety in offline contexts. Benefits less clear for individuals seeking primarily in-person intimacy or those with internet access barriers.
How should clinicians recommend online communities to patients?
Curate recommendations: provide specific community names/links, describe community culture and moderation quality, caution against misinformation, and encourage patients to evaluate whether community content aligns with their clinical care. Frame online support as supplementary to clinical care, not replacement.
Sources
- Vilelas, J. M., & Tomás, C. C. (2011). Internet social support: An instrument for studying virtual communities of patients with fibromyalgia. Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 29(10), 576–585. link ↗
- Nick, E. A., Cole, D. A., Cho, S. J., & Smith, D. K. (2018). The online social support scale: Measure development and validation. Psychological Assessment, 30(9), 1127–1143. DOI: 10.1037/pas0000558 ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Online Social Support Scale (OSSS). ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/health-informatics/online-social-support-scale
Which method?
Set this method beside its closest kin and read them side by side — the library lays the books on the table; the choice is yours.
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