A multi-item scale assessing health-related quality of life across physical and mental health domains.
36 Questions
~9 min
Custom
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was developed by Ware JE, Sherbourne CD (1992). It is designed to measure Health-related quality of life. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 36 items organized into 9 factors/subscales: Physical Functioning, Role Physical, Role Emotional, Energy/Vitality, Emotional Well-being, Social Functioning, Pain, General Health, Health Change.
Factor / Subscale
Items
N
Physical Functioning
3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
10
Role Physical
13,14,15,16
4
Role Emotional
17,18,19
3
Energy/Vitality
23,27,29,31
4
Emotional Well-being
24,25,26,28,30
5
Social Functioning
20,32
2
Pain
21,22
2
General Health
1,33,34,35,36
5
Health Change
2
1
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Varies by item (includes Likert scales, frequency scales, and Yes/No options).
The scale includes 11 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
Subscale scores range from 0 to 100, where higher scores represent better health states.: 0 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha > 0.80 for most subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.