Scale Overview
The Health Opinion Survey – HOS was developed by Allister M. Macmillan (adapted by A. M. Semmence) (1969). It is designed to measure Psychiatric and psychosomatic distress. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 27 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = No / Never / Not at all, 1 = Sometimes / Undecided / Once or twice / Not very much, 2 = Yes / Often / A lot / Pretty often, 3 = Nearly all the time (Items 4 & 8 only).
The scale includes 1 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 56. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low risk of psychiatric impairment: 0 – 29
- High risk of psychiatric impairment: 30 – 56
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
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.