SF-36 Health Survey
Psychology: Health & SleepReliability: alpha 0.78–0.93 across 8 subscales3 sample items
About this scale
A 36-item measure of health-related quality of life across 8 subscales: physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, mental health.
Sample item(s)
“In general, would you say your health is excellent / very good / good / fair / poor?”
“Does your health now limit you in vigorous activities?”
“Have you accomplished less than you would like as a result of your physical health?”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.78–0.93 across 8 subscales. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Commercial license; SF-12 short form is widely used.
Source & citation
Ware, J. E., & Sherbourne, C. D. (1992): The MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care, Vol. 30, No. 6, pp. 473–483.
Ware & Sherbourne (1992): SF-36. Medical Care, 30(6), 473–483.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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