RAND 12-Item Short Form Health Survey – SF-12
A self-report measure of physical and mental health-related quality of life.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The RAND 12-Item Short Form Health Survey – SF-12 was developed by John E. Ware Jr., Maurine Kosinski, and Susan D. Keller (1996). It is designed to measure Health-related quality of life. The scale is intended for use with General adult population.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Physical Health Composite (PCS), Mental Health Composite (MCS).
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Health Composite (PCS) | 1,2,3,4,5,8 | 6 |
| Mental Health Composite (MCS) | 6,7,9,10,11,12 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: mixed = Multiple response formats are used (Likert, Yes/No, Frequency).
The scale includes 4 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:
- Scores are transformed to a T-score distribution (Mean = 50, SD = 10). Higher scores indicate better health status.: 0 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of PCS: 0.89, MCS: 0.76.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.