Psychometric Properties of the Korean Short Form-36 Health Survey Version 2 for Assessing the General Population

PURPOSE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean short form-36 health survey version 2 for assessing the general population and to provide normative data on the general population. METHODS: Six hundred members of the general Korean population were recruited using a multistage quota sampling method. Data quality was evaluated in terms of the completeness of the data and the response consistency index. Each psychometric property was evaluated using descriptive statistics, item internal consistency, item discriminant validity, known-group validity, internal consistency reliability, and exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: The rate of missing data was low, and the rate of consistent responses was similar to conventional criteria. Item internal consistency was acceptable across all scales, whilst item discriminant validity was satisfactory for five of the eight scales. Social functioning was the least acceptable in terms of not only item discriminant validity but also item consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .64). Test-retest Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from .54 to .80. In known group comparison, male sex, age <60 years, high educational status, and the absence of any comorbidities were associated with higher scores than their counterparts. Item factor analysis yields the presence of six factors, accounting for 68.8% of the variance. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study generally support the use of the Korean short form-36 version 2 for evaluating the general population, although caution is recommended when interpreting the vitality, social functioning, and mental health scales. Further research is needed in Korea.