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 12-Item Short Form Health Survey – SF-12 was developed by John E. Ware Jr., Sherbourne D. Kosinski, Susan D. Keller (1996). It is designed to measure Health-Related Quality of Life. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Physical Component Summary (PCS), Mental Component Summary (MCS).
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Component Summary (PCS) | 1,2,3,4,5,8 | 6 |
| Mental Component Summary (MCS) | 6,7,9,10,11,12 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: mixed = Response options vary by item (Yes/No, Likert scales, and frequency scales).
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 typically transformed to a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10, with higher scores indicating better health functioning.: 0 – 100
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.