SF-36

The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) is one of the most widely used generic health-related quality of life instruments. Developed by John Ware at RAND, it measures eight health domains: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, bodily pain, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, and mental health. Scores for each domain range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health. Two summary scores can be derived: the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS). In psychedelic research, the SF-36 serves as a secondary endpoint to assess whether symptom-specific improvements (e.g., depression, PTSD) translate into broader health-related quality of life gains. It enables comparison of treatment effects across different conditions and interventions and is recognized by regulatory agencies as a patient-reported outcome measure.