A 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey
1996/03/01 by John E. Ware, JOHN E. WARE, MARK KOSINSKI +3 · 17,256 citations
Decision Sciences · Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Clinical psychology #Component (thermodynamics) #Depression (economics) #Disease #Environmental health #Health and Wellbeing Research #Health disparities and outcomes #Health related quality of life #Medicine #Mental health #Physical health #Population #Psychiatry #Psychology #Psychometric Methodologies and Testing #SF-36 #Seriousness
paper · doi:10.1097/00005650-199603000-00003
published in Medical Care 34(3), 220-233 (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)
openalex publication_date 1996/03/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Abstract
Regression methods were used to select and score 12 items from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) to reproduce the Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary scales in the general US population (n=2,333). The resulting 12-item short-form (SF-12) achieved multiple R squares of 0.911 and 0.918 in predictions of the SF-36 Physical Component Summary and SF-36 Mental Component Summary scores, respectively. Scoring algorithms from the general population used to score 12-item versions of the two components (Physical Components Summary and Mental Component Summary) achieved R squares of 0.905 with the SF-36 Physical Component Summary and 0.938 with SF-36 Mental Component Summary when cross-validated in the Medical Outcomes Study. Test-retest (2-week)correlations of 0.89 and 0.76 were observed for the 12-item Physical Component Summary and the 12-item Mental Component Summary, respectively, in the general US population (n=232). Twenty cross-sectional and longitudinal tests of empirical validity previously published for the 36-item short-form scales and summary measures were replicated for the 12-item Physical Component Summary and the 12-item Mental Component Summary, including comparisons between patient groups known to differ or to change in terms of the presence and seriousness of physical and mental conditions, acute symptoms, age and aging, self-reported 1-year changes in health, and recovery for depression. In 14 validity tests involving physical criteria, relative validity estimates for the 12-item Physical Component Summary ranged from 0.43 to 0.93 (median=0.67) in comparison with the best 36-item short-form scale. Relative validity estimates for the 12-item Mental Component Summary in 6 tests involving mental criteria ranged from 0.60 to 107 (median=0.97) in relation to the best 36-item short-form scale. Average scores for the 2 summary measures, and those for most scales in the 8-scale profile based on the 12-item short-form, closely mirrored those for the 36-item short-form, although standard errors were nearly always larger for the 12-item short-form.
Cited by
- Botulinum Toxin Type A for Chronic Pain and Pelvic Floor Spasm in Women
- Monitoring Depression Treatment Outcomes With the Patient Health Questionnaire-9
- A Randomized Trial of Telephonic Counseling Plus Walking for Depressed Diabetes Patients
- Traumatic Brain Injury Among Women Veterans
- Comparative Responsiveness of Generic Versus Disease-Specific and Weighted Versus Unweighted Health Status Measures in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Intimate Partner Violence Victimization and Associated Implications for Health and Functioning Among Male and Female Post-9/11 Veterans
- Assessing and Managing All Aspects of Migraine: Migraine Attacks, Migraine-Related Functional Impairment, Common Comorbidities, and Quality of Life
- How Effective is Low Vision Service Provision? A Systematic Review
- A telerehabilitation programme in post-discharge COVID-19 patients (TERECO): a randomised controlled trial
- Declining Cognition and Falls: Role of Risky Performance of Everyday Mobility Activities
- Parental Health Shocks and Child Outcomes at Ages 17–25: Evidence From Germany
- Health Problems and Medical Utilization Associated With Gambling Disorders: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions
- Validation of a parent-proxy quality of life questionnaire for paediatric chronic cough (PC-QOL)
- Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus significantly impacts on quality of life of patients on haemodialysis and associates with increased levels of serum calcium and phosphorus
- Associations between sexual health and well-being: a systematic review
- Developing the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0
- From Some to None? Fertility Expectation Dynamics of Permanently Childless Women
- Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trial
- Effects of residential ventilation and filtration interventions on adult asthma outcomes
- “Forty-some years I’ve been on paper”: Navigating probation in later adulthood
- Perfectionism, self-compassion, intuitive eating and health-related quality of life in kidney transplant recipients
- The Impact of Weight Labels on Body Image, Internalized Weight Stigma, Affect, Perceived Health, and Intended Weight Loss Behaviors in Normal-Weight and Overweight College Women
- Primary Care, Health Promotion, and Disease Prevention with Michigan Medicaid Expansion
- Early predictors of health-related quality of life outcomes at 12 months post-burn: ABLE study
- Not in Education, Employment, or Training Status Among Young Swiss Men. Longitudinal Associations With Mental Health and Substance Use
- Effect of very low-carbohydrate high-fat diet and high-intensity interval training on mental health-related indicators in individuals with excessive weight or obesity
- Not in the mood for party: Symptoms of depression reduce the weight of partisanship on vote choice
- Periacetabular Osteotomy and Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients Older Than 40 Years
- Development of physical and mental health summary scores from the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) global items
- Fibromyalgia Syndrome Module at OMERACT 9: Domain Construct
- Health-related quality of life in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Post COVID-19 Condition: a systematic review
- Experiential Avoidance in Advanced Cancer: a Mixed-Methods Systematic Review
- Development of the Short Form Endometriosis Health Profile Questionnaire: The EHP-5
- Analgesic use and risk of recurrent falls in participants with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative
- Bases para el establecimiento de un Plan Forestal a nivel de la Comunidad Autónoma Vasca
- Pathway with single‐dose long‐acting intravenous antibiotic reduces emergency department hospitalizations of patients with skin infections
- Positive psychological well-being and clinical characteristics in IBS: A systematic review
- Differences in long‐term disease activity and treatment of adult patients with childhood‐ and adult‐onset systemic lupus erythematosus
- Problem Gambling in the UK: Implications for Health, Psychosocial Adjustment and Health Care Utilization
- The Epidemiology of Arm and Hand Swelling in Premenopausal Breast Cancer Survivors
- BMI and Health‐Related Quality of Life in Adults 65 Years and Older
- Surgery for chronic pancreatitis across Europe (ESCOPA): prospective multicentre study
- Assessing regression to the mean effects in health care initiatives
- Rehabilitation at Home Using Mobile Health for Older Adults Hospitalized for Ischemic Heart Disease
- Are veterans healthier? Military service and health at age 40 in the all-volunteer era
- Measurement invariance of the SF-12 among different demographic groups: The HELIUS study
- Wind turbine proximity and health-related quality of life in Germany 2002 to 2022
- An Online Psychoeducational Pilot Program with Homecare Workers of Dependent Older Adults
- A Tailored Approach to Increase Engagement in Lifestyle Change Programs in Women With Previous Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
- Parallel Mediating Roles of Illness Acceptance Attitudes Between Physical Symptoms and Quality of Life in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers
- Patient-centred innovation for multimorbidity care: a mixed-methods, randomised trial and qualitative study of the patients’ experience
- Predictors of Long‐Term Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment Receipt Among Middle‐Aged and Older Adults With Problematic Alcohol Use
- The gut microbiota promotes pain in fibromyalgia
- Population-based RCT of a digital cognitive-behavioural guided self-help intervention for anxiety, depression and eating disorders in college students
- Mental and Physical Health in Wilson Disease Patients With SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection and Relevance of Long‐COVID
- Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: what about quality of life?
- Culture Moderates the Relation Between Perceived Stress, Social Support, and Mental and Physical Health
- Psychosocial burden of recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections
- The effect of antidepressant treatment on HIV and depression outcomes
- Subgroups in chronic low back pain patients – a step toward cluster-based, tailored treatment in inpatient standard care: On the need for precise targeting of treatment for chronic low back pain
- Uncovering treatment effect heterogeneity in pragmatic gerontology trials
- Impact of a physiotherapy-led low threshold exercise and protein supplementation intervention to optimise physical function and target frailty in people experiencing homelessness and addiction: The LEAP-II trial
- Chewing Gum to Treat Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Female Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Trial
- Exploring cross-cultural effectiveness of internet-based depression treatment (IBAT-D) with peer-to-peer support vs. without across WEIRD and non-WEIRD samples: a research protocol for a randomized controlled trial
- The Manitoba Joint Replacement Registry: validation of a provincial hip and knee arthroplasty registry
- What aspects of pain and functional outcomes contribute to patient satisfaction 1 year after surgery within total hip and total knee arthroplasty populations? A registry-based cohort study
- Prevalence of sleep disturbance in patients with low back pain
- Psychosocial education improves low back pain beliefs: results from a cluster randomized clinical trial (NCT00373009) in a primary prevention setting
- Clinical Validation of Reduced Alcohol Consumption After Treatment for Alcohol Dependence Using the World Health Organization Risk Drinking Levels
- Post‐COVID‐19 Condition in Track and Field Master Athletes: Severity, Symptoms, and Associations With Quality of Life and C‐Reactive Protein Levels
- Health-related quality of life in patients by COPD severity within primary care in Europe
- Quality of life associated with chronic cough in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study: a cross-sectional study
- ICD-11 prolonged grief disorder, physical health, and somatic problems: A systematic review
- The Influence of Familial Social Support on Physical Health During Reentry
- Mindfulness interventions and quality of life in anxiety-related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Content validity and psychometric properties of the inFLUenza Patient-Reported Outcome Plus (FLU-PRO Plus©) instrument in patients with COVID-19
- Health-related quality of life and its association with alexithymia and difficulties in emotion regulation in patients with psoriasis
- Bayesian Dynamic Clustering Factor Models
- Using Convolutional Variational Autoencoders to Predict Post-Trauma Health Outcomes from Actigraphy Data
- The Effects of a Pain Management-Focused Mobile Health Behavior Intervention on Older Adults’ Self-efficacy, Satisfaction with Functioning, and Quality of Life: a Randomized Pilot Trial
- Health-related quality of life is impaired in people with autoimmune hepatitis: Results of a multicentre cross-sectional study within the European Reference Network
- Mental health in Germany before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
- Group sequential two‐stage preference designs
- The quality of acute intensive care and the incidence of critical events have an impact on health-related quality of life in survivors of the acute respiratory distress syndrome – a nationwide prospective multicenter observational study
- Long-term quality of life, work limitation, physical activity, economic cost and disease burden following ACL and meniscal injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis for the OPTIKNEE consensus
- The importance of economic, social and cultural capital in understanding health inequalities: using a Bourdieu‐based approach in research on physical and mental health perceptions
- Flexible work arrangements and employee health: A meta-analytic review
- Cohort Profile: The Study of Health in Pomerania
- The Health and Social Isolation of American Veterans Denied Veterans Affairs Disability Compensation
- The pathogenesis of degeneration of the intervertebral disc and emerging therapies in the management of back pain
- Are persons with physical disabilities who participate in society healthier and happier? Structural equation modelling of objective participation and subjective well-being
- Prediction models for treatment success after an interdisciplinary multimodal pain treatment program
- Mental health consequences of urban air pollution: prospective population-based longitudinal survey
- A longitudinal study of social, religious, and spiritual capital and physical and emotional functioning in a national sample of African–Americans
- The health-related quality of life in patients with post-COVID-19 after hospitalization: a systematic review
- Study of the use of antidepressants for depression in dementia: the HTA-SADD trial – a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of sertraline and mirtazapine
- Quality of life impairment in a community sample of women with eating disorders
- Q-Learning with Clustered-SMART (cSMART) Data: Examining Moderators in the Construction of Clustered Adaptive Interventions
- Compression bandages or stockings versus no compression for treating venous leg ulcers
- Altruistic Social Interest Behaviors Are Associated With Better Mental Health
- Standards for epidemiologic studies and surveillance of epilepsy
- Intercessory Prayer and Cardiovascular Disease Progression in a Coronary Care Unit Population: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Psychological treatments for depression and anxiety in dementia and mild cognitive impairment
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult Anxiety Disorders
- Diet-Induced Changes in n-3- and n-6-Derived Endocannabinoids and Reductions in Headache Pain and Psychological Distress
- How does reentry get under the skin? Cumulative reintegration barriers and health in a sample of recently incarcerated men
- Patients' Global Ratings of Their Health Care Are Not Associated with the Technical Quality of Their Care
- The Cost of Satisfaction
- Size and burden of mental disorders in Europe—a critical review and appraisal of 27 studies
- Sleep Duration and Diabetes Risk in American Indian and Alaska Native Participants of a Lifestyle Intervention Project
- Impact of Recent Fracture on Health-Related Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women
- Pet Ownership and Health in Older Adults: Findings from a Survey of 2,551 Community-Based Australians Aged 60–64
- Transport disadvantage, social exclusion, and subjective well-being: The role of the neighborhood environment—evidence from Sydney, Australia
- Suburban sprawl and physical and mental health
- Physical, Psychological, and Functional Comorbidities of Multisymptom Illness in Australian Male Veterans of the 1991 Gulf War
- Continued work employment and volunteerism and mental well-being of older adults: Singapore longitudinal ageing studies
- Moral injury, mental health and behavioural health outcomes: A systematic review of the literature
- El Cuestionario de Salud SF-36 español: una década de experiencia y nuevos desarrollos
- Correlates of Sexually Related Personal Distress in Women with Low Sexual Desire
- Testing the Reliability and Validity of the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale
- Comparison of Quality of Life Measures in Heart Failure
- Impact of Baricitinib on Patients’ Quality of Life after One Year of Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis in Real-World Practice: Results of the Observatory of Chronic Inflammatory Skin Diseases Registry
- Group Psychosocial Interventions Following Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Group Process and Outcomes
- Integrative Health Coaching for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
- Psychological and social outcomes of sport participation for older adults: a systematic review
- Project həli?dxw/Healthy Hearts Across Generations: Development and Evaluation Design of a Tribally Based Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Intervention for American Indian Families
- Regional Anesthesia Improves Outcome After Distal Radius Fracture Fixation Over General Anesthesia
- Health and economic impact of surgical site infections diagnosed after hospital discharge. [europepmc]
- Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS): Overview and description. [europepmc]
- Correlated physical and mental health summary scores for the SF-36 and SF-12 Health Survey, V.I. [europepmc]
- Clinical presentation of patients with symptomatic anterior hip impingement. [europepmc]
- A reengineered hospital discharge program to decrease rehospitalization: a randomized trial. [europepmc]
- Neighborhood built environment and income: examining multiple health outcomes. [europepmc]
- Development of physical and mental health summary scores from the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) global items. [europepmc]
- Development and validation of an abbreviated version of the expanded prostate cancer index composite instrument for measuring health-related quality of life among prostate cancer survivors. [europepmc]
- Objective light-intensity physical activity associations with rated health in older adults. [europepmc]
- Developing the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. [europepmc]
- Supervised exercise versus primary stenting for claudication resulting from aortoiliac peripheral artery disease: six-month outcomes from the claudication: exercise versus endoluminal revascularization (CLEVER) study. [europepmc]
- Minority stress and physical health among sexual minority individuals. [europepmc]
- Effect of communication skills training for residents and nurse practitioners on quality of communication with patients with serious illness: a randomized trial. [europepmc]
- Report of the NIH Task Force on research standards for chronic low back pain. [europepmc]
- The different clinical faces of obstructive sleep apnoea: a cluster analysis. [europepmc]
- Personalised care planning for adults with chronic or long-term health conditions. [europepmc]
- Development of the Serious Illness Care Program: a randomised controlled trial of a palliative care communication intervention. [europepmc]
- Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Usual Care on Back Pain and Functional Limitations in Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. [europepmc]
- Examining the associations between HIV-related stigma and health outcomes in people living with HIV/AIDS: a series of meta-analyses. [europepmc]
- Comparisons of Interventions for Preventing Falls in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. [europepmc]
- Physician Burnout, Well-being, and Work Unit Safety Grades in Relationship to Reported Medical Errors. [europepmc]
- Sarcopenic obesity in older adults: aetiology, epidemiology and treatment strategies. [europepmc]
- Early Neuromuscular Blockade in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. [europepmc]
- Unprecedented disruption of lives and work: Health, distress and life satisfaction of working adults in China one month into the COVID-19 outbreak. [europepmc]
- Delirium. [europepmc]
Related