Understanding Society User Support

The derivation of PCS and MCS is described here with reference to the original paper;

https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage/dataset-documentation/wave/2/datafile/b_indresp/variable/b_sf12pcs_dv
https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage/dataset-documentation/wave/2/datafile/b_indresp/variable/b_sf12mcs_dv

Looks like you should be able to derive PCS and MCS yourself from the SF12 subset of SF36 items.

Jakob

The paper you refer to is not available without being purchased - and the scoring methods for the SF12 are contained in such papers or in specific software. There are 12 variables that are scored 1 to 5 which are scored in some way to create two 0 to 100 scales and I am unable to find out how this is possible without contacting an account executive to discuss purchasing. If you can tell me the method I would be very grateful - but I imagine this is not possible without breaking some licensing contract.

So for now I can see no way for me to construct the PCS and MCS scores in BHPS (or even try to recreate those in Understanding Society) without the specific scoring methods. Since ISER must have this software to have scored the SF12 scale for Understanding Society, can you tell me whether there are plans for scoring the BHPS SF36 variables into PCS and MCS scores so that the three waves of data can be compared?

Many thanks
Emma

We haven't got any plans for releasing PCS and MCS for BHPS at the moment.

Another users with a similar problem has sent us this reference;
Taft, C., Karlsson, J & Sullivan, M. (2001). Do SF-36 summary component scores accurately summarize subscale scores? Quality of Life Research, 10(5), 395-404.

Jakob