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Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS)3

Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS) Test

Completed in about 22 minutes, the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS) Test contains 120 questions about how children and adolescents perceive support from parents, teachers, classmates, close friends, and other adults. Results highlight perceived support patterns and the importance of different support types, supporting self-reflection and constructive discussion.

Questions: 12022 minutes

Child and Adolescent Social Support: sample question card

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Overall Frequency of Social SupportOFoSS

Measures how often the child perceives receiving social support from people around them across key sources and support types.

example score265/360

265/360Moderate frequencyexample score

60 – 193Low frequency

194 – 274Moderate frequency

275 – 360High frequency

A score of 265 indicates a moderate frequency of perceived social support, suggesting the child often experiences support but with some areas where support may be less consistent.

Parent SupportPS

Measures how frequently the child perceives emotional, informational, appraisal, and practical support from their parents.

example score39/72

39/72Low supportexample score

12 – 40Low support

41 – 64Moderate support

65 – 72High support

A score of 39 falls in the Low support range, suggesting the child reports parental support and feedback as infrequent and practical help as limited.

Teacher SupportTS

Measures how often the child perceives support, care, and fair treatment from teachers.

example score33/72

33/72Low supportexample score

12 – 34Low support

35 – 58Moderate support

59 – 72High support

A score of 33 falls in the Low support range, suggesting the child less often experiences teachers as caring, attentive, and fair.

Classmate SupportCS

Measures how often the child experiences supportive attention and involvement from classmates.

example score20/72

20/72Lowexample score

12 – 31Low

32 – 56Average

57 – 72High

A score of 20 falls in the Low range, suggesting the child reports infrequent support from classmates.

Close Friend SupportCFS

Measures how often the child experiences supportive, connected, and helpful interactions from close friends.

example score65/72

65/72Moderate supportexample score

12 – 41Low support

42 – 69Moderate support

70 – 72High support

A score of 65 indicates moderate perceived support from close friends, suggesting the child often feels helped and connected but may still experience gaps in support in some situations.

Support From Other PeopleSFOP

Measures how often the child receives social support from other significant adults at school (e.g., teachers, older students, counselors).

example score28/72

28/72Moderate supportexample score

12 – 23Low support

24 – 51Moderate support

52 – 72High support

A score of 28 falls in the Moderate support range, suggesting the child receives some support from other significant adults but it may be inconsistent or limited in certain situations.

Emotional SupportES

Measures how often the child experiences emotional support (feeling understood, listened to, and comforted) from people around them.

example score34/90

34/90Lowexample score

15 – 48Low

49 – 71Moderate

72 – 90High

A score of 34 falls in the Low range, suggesting the child reports emotional support less often than expected and may feel less able to rely on others for understanding and comfort.

Informational SupportIS

Measures how often the child receives helpful advice, guidance, and information to handle problems (informational support).

example score43/90

43/90Lowexample score

15 – 47Low

48 – 71Moderate

72 – 90High

A score of 43 falls in the Low range, suggesting the child receives informational support relatively infrequently and may have limited access to advice or guidance when dealing with challenges.

Appraisal SupportAS

Measures how often the adolescent experiences evaluative support (recognition and positive feedback) from people around them.

example score47/90

47/90Moderateexample score

15 – 43Low

44 – 68Moderate

69 – 90High

A score of 47 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting the adolescent receives some recognition and positive feedback but it may be inconsistent across people or situations.

Material SupportMS

Measures how often the child receives material or practical help (e.g., money or tangible assistance) from people around them.

example score58/90

58/90Moderateexample score

15 – 48Low

49 – 70Moderate

71 – 90High

A score of 58 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting the child receives material support sometimes, with room for stronger or more consistent practical help.

Overall Importance of Social SupportOIoSS

Measures how subjectively important social support is to the child overall across their social environment.

example score127/180

127/180Moderate significanceexample score

60 – 110Low significance

111 – 147Moderate significance

148 – 180High significance

A score of 127 indicates a moderate level, meaning social support is important to the child at times but is not seen as highly significant overall.

Parent SupportPS

Measures how important the adolescent feels parental support is to them.

example score26/36

26/36Moderate importanceexample score

12 – 22Low importance

23 – 31Moderate importance

32 – 36High importance

A score of 26 falls in the Moderate importance range, suggesting parental support is valued mainly in specific situations rather than consistently across contexts.

Teacher SupportTS

Measures how important teacher support, care, and fair treatment feel to the student.

example score23/36

23/36Moderate importanceexample score

12 – 20Lower importance

21 – 30Moderate importance

31 – 36High importance

A score of 23 falls in the Moderate importance range, suggesting teacher support is meaningful to the student but not experienced as absolutely central.

Classmate SupportCS

Measures how important and sufficient the adolescent perceives support from classmates to be.

example score19/36

19/36Averageexample score

12 – 18Low

19 – 30Average

31 – 36High

A score of 19 falls in the Average range, suggesting classmate support is moderately important and typically needed only occasionally.

Close Friend SupportCFS

Measures how important the child feels support from close friends is to them.

example score25/36

25/36Average importanceexample score

12 – 23Low importance

24 – 32Average importance

33 – 36High importance

A score of 25 indicates an average level, meaning support from close friends is valued and sought at times but not consistently.

Support From Other PeopleSFOP

Measures how important the child feels it is to receive support, advice, and attention from other significant adults.

example score21/36

21/36Moderate importanceexample score

12 – 16Low importance

17 – 29Moderate importance

30 – 36High importance

A score of 21 indicates a moderate level, suggesting support from other adults is sometimes important to the child but not consistently prioritized.

Emotional SupportES

Measures how important emotional support (feeling understood, listened to, and cared for) is to the child.

example score31/45

31/45Moderate importanceexample score

15 – 27Lower importance

28 – 38Moderate importance

39 – 45Higher importance

A score of 31 falls in the Moderate importance range, suggesting emotional support is sometimes needed and valued but not consistently central.

Informational SupportIS

Measures how important informational support (receiving advice, guidance, and helpful information) feels to the child.

example score28/45

28/45Moderate importanceexample score

15 – 27Lower importance

28 – 36Moderate importance

37 – 45High importance

A score of 28 indicates informational support is of moderate importance to the child, suggesting they value advice and guidance but not as strongly as those in the high range.

Appraisal SupportAS

Measures how important it is to the child to receive evaluative feedback and acknowledgement of their efforts or achievements from others.

example score24/45

24/45Low importanceexample score

15 – 24Low importance

25 – 37Average importance

38 – 45High importance

A score of 24 falls in the Low importance range, suggesting the child places relatively little importance on receiving feedback or comments from others.

Tangible SupportTS

Measures how important material or practical (financial) support feels to the child in their social environment.

example score29/45

29/45Average importanceexample score

15 – 26Low importance

27 – 37Average importance

38 – 45High importance

A score of 29 falls in the Average importance range, suggesting material support is a moderate need and tends to matter in some situations but not consistently.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

School counseling referrals

41%OF USERS

Students referred by counselors due to attendance issues, behavior concerns, or falling grades take it to map support from teachers, peers, and home.

Parents seeking clarity

34%OF USERS

Parents use it when they sense their child is struggling socially or emotionally and want to see where support feels strong or missing.

Clinicians monitoring progress

25%OF USERS

Therapists and psychologists administer it to understand a teen’s support network and track changes during treatment or after major life events.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Overall Social Support Frequency ScoreOSSFS

You?

Average216.3

Typical rangeTypical166.4 – 266.2

Possible60 – 360

Parental SupportPS

You?

Average47.5

Typical rangeTypical38.7 – 56.3

Possible12 – 72

Support for EducatorsSfE

You?

Average37.5

Typical rangeTypical26.6 – 48.4

Possible12 – 72

Support from classmatesSfc

You?

Average32.2

Typical rangeTypical21.3 – 43.1

Possible12 – 72

Support from close friendsSfcf

You?

Average31.8

Typical rangeTypical23.4 – 40.1

Possible12 – 72

Supporting Other PeopleSOP

You?

Average46.3

Typical rangeTypical37.1 – 55.5

Possible12 – 72

Emotional SupportES

You?

Average68.3

Typical rangeTypical57.3 – 79.3

Possible15 – 90

Information SupportIS

You?

Average58.7

Typical rangeTypical49.4 – 67.9

Possible15 – 90

Evaluative SupportES

You?

Average70.2

Typical rangeTypical59.7 – 80.6

Possible15 – 90

Financial SupportFS

You?

Average43

Typical rangeTypical33.4 – 52.6

Possible15 – 90

Overall measure of the significance of social supportOmotsoss

You?

Average134.3

Typical rangeTypical113.7 – 154.9

Possible60 – 180

Parental SupportPS

You?

Average28.8

Typical rangeTypical24.8 – 32.8

Possible12 – 36

Support for EducatorsSfE

You?

Average20.3

Typical rangeTypical16.1 – 24.5

Possible12 – 36

Support from classmatesSfc

You?

Average26.8

Typical rangeTypical22.9 – 30.6

Possible12 – 36

Support from close friendsSfcf

You?

Average29.2

Typical rangeTypical25 – 33.4

Possible12 – 36

Supporting Other PeopleSOP

You?

Average26.2

Typical rangeTypical23 – 29.4

Possible12 – 36

Emotional SupportES

You?

Average25.4

Typical rangeTypical20.7 – 30.2

Possible15 – 45

Information SupportIS

You?

Average33.4

Typical rangeTypical28.4 – 38.3

Possible15 – 45

Evaluative SupportES

You?

Average26.8

Typical rangeTypical23.1 – 30.5

Possible15 – 45

Financial SupportFS

You?

Average22.9

Typical rangeTypical18.1 – 27.6

Possible15 – 45

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

On the following pages, you will be asked to respond to statements about different types of support or help you receive from your parents, teachers, classmates, a close friend, and other people around you at school. Please read each statement carefully and answer as honestly as possible. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. For each statement, you will provide two responses: first, indicate how often you receive this type of support; second, indicate how important this support is to you.

- Never
- Almost never
- Sometimes
- Most of the time
- Almost always
- Always
- Not important
- Important
- Very important
- Never
- Almost never
- Sometimes
- Most of the time
- Almost always
- Always

These are 3 of the 120 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS) Test - Description and methodology of the test

social support

Children and adolescents respond to this social support assessment for children, while families and educators may use its profile to guide discussion. The Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS) Test organizes perceived frequency of receiving support across important relationships separately from the subjective importance attached to receiving it. It is intended for guided self-reflection and constructive discussion.

What This Assessment Explores

Support is profiled by perceived frequency and subjective importance across relationship sources and support functions. Within this social support questionnaire for children, items address listening, praise, advice, protection, inclusion, feedback, problem solving, and practical help. The displayed scales are:

Overall Frequency of Social Support (60-360) and Overall Importance of Social Support (60-180) summarize perceived frequency and significance.
Parent Support (12-72; 12-36), Teacher Support (12-72; 12-36), Classmate Support (12-72; 12-36), Close Friend Support (12-72; 12-36), and Support From Other People (12-72; 12-36) compare providers.
Emotional Support (15-90; 15-45), Informational Support (15-90; 15-45), Appraisal Support (15-90; 15-45), Material Support (15-90), and Tangible Support (15-45) compare functions.

For paired scales, the first range is frequency and the second is importance. Catalogue bands classify each score as low, moderate/average, or high.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

The online CASSS questionnaire is conceptually consistent with the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale described by Malecki and Demaray (2002), which organizes four support types across five sources. Tardy’s framework distinguishes support by function, and Styck and colleagues’ 2025 study examines the same source-and-type structure. This questionnaire is not a verbatim reproduction of every research administration.

Items are grouped by five sources and four support types. Some ask how often support occurs, from Never to Always; others ask how important it is, from Not important to Very important. Results aggregate responses into separate frequency and importance profiles, so perceived need is not treated as proof that support is objectively available.

Interpretation is descriptive: the displayed categories are catalogue bands indicating the child’s reported pattern. As a perceived social support scale, results may reflect current mood, recent interactions, memory, self-awareness, and willingness to disclose. Use the profile to identify patterns for discussion and to understand the child’s responses in context.

Author: Barbara R. Sarason, Joyce G. Sarason

Literature:

Malecki, C. K., & Demaray, M. K. (2002). Measuring perceived social support: Development of the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS). Psychology in the Schools, 39(1), 1-18. 10.1002/pits.10004
Styck, K. M., Rueger, S. Y., Malecki, C. K., Demaray, M. K., Slany, A. E. W., Pyun, Y., Geisler, M. J., & Kassel, M. K. (2025). The child and adolescent social support scale: Assessing four types of perceived support from five sources. Journal of School Psychology, 110, 101464. 10.1016/j.jsp.2025.101464
Tardy, C. H. (1985). Social support measurement. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13(2), 187-202. 10.1007/BF00905728

Updated: 2025-10-02