SF-12 Health Survey (SF-12v2)
The SF-12 Health Survey version 2 is a brief, 12-item questionnaire designed to measure overall physical and mental health status across 8 domains.
| Description: | The SF-12 Health Survey version 2 is a brief, 12-item questionnaire designed to measure overall physical and mental health status across 8 domains. |
|---|---|
| Disease States: | General |
| Validated Uses: | Treatment Monitoring & Evaluation, Symptom Severity |
| Administration Method: | Self-report, Clinician-report |
| Time to administer: | 5 minutes |
| Commonly used in: | Clinical Trials & Research, Clinical Practice |
| Detailed Description: | The SF-12v2 score is calculated from two summary scores, the PCS and MCS.3 The PCS consists of four physical health concepts: physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, and general health, and the MCS consists of four mental health concepts: vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health. The SF-12v2 consists of 12 items that are a subset of those in the SF-36v2.3,6 The PCS and MCS scores are calculated using regression coefficients and a constant derived from the general US population. They are transformed to have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 in the general US population, with higher scores indicating better health.3,6 Scores above 50 indicate health status above average in the general US population, while scores below 50 indicate health status below average in the general US population.3 |
| Scale Validity: | In a study with 946 patients with mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder, the SF-12 was shown to be a moderately valid measure of the physical and mental health components. The PCS was moderately related to physical health indexes, including the number of chronic health problems and number of health visits (correlations range: -0.17 to -0.32). The MCS was moderately related to mental health indices, including self-reported mental health ratings, psychiatric hospitalization in the past year, and comorbid substance use disorder (correlations range: -0.11 to 0.49).7 |
| Alternative Versions: | The SF-36 is an extended version of the SF-12, consisting of 36 items, 35 of which assess the same 8 health concepts evaluated in the SF-12. In addition, it includes a health transition question that measures changes in general health over the past 12 months.3,8 The SF-36v2 is an updated iteration of the SF-36, featuring improved item wording, revised response choices, and updated normative data. The shorter versions, SF-8 and SF-6, were primarily created for large population surveys, where the goal is to achieve precision by obtaining a larger sample size rather than enhancing measurement reliability.5 |
| Cited Limitations: | Because SF-12v2 covers a narrower range of functioning than the SF-36v2, providing less quantitative and reliable information about a patient’s health status at a given time and over time, SF-36v2 is recommended for assessing and/or monitoring individual patients. Additionally, norm-based scoring requires the use of the norm based on the 2009 general US population, which may be outdated or limit its use for international populations.5 |
Footnotes:
Supporting references for the filters are as follows:
Disease states: general1-3; validated uses: comparison of general and specific populations, comparison of relative burden of diseases, differentiating the health benefits of various treatments, screening and monitoring patients4; administration method: self-administered or clinician-administered1,3; time to administer: five minutes1,3,5; commonly used in: clinical trials and research, clinical practice5
This resource is intended for educational purposes only and is intended for US healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals should use independent medical judgment. All decisions regarding patient care must be handled by a healthcare professional and be made based on the unique needs of each patient.
ABBV-US-02145-MC, V2.0
Approved 11/2025
AbbVie Medical Affairs