RAND Social Health Battery
Measures social health, including social contacts, resources, and community participation.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The RAND Social Health Battery was developed by Cathy A. Donald, John E. Ware, Jr., Robert H. Brook (1978). It is designed to measure Social Health. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 11 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Social Contacts, Social Resources.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Social Contacts | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | 7 |
| Social Resources | 8,9,10,11 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Every day, 2 = Several days a week, 3 = About once a week, 4 = 2 or 3 times a month, 5 = About once a month / Once in past month, 6 = Less than 5 times a year / Not at all.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 47. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Social Health: 0 – 15
- Moderate Social Health: 16 – 30
- High Social Health: 31 – 47
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.70 – 0.80.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.