Factored scales for the personal health survey with schizophrenics, alcoholics, felons, unmarried mothers, and college students

Abstract

Employed the Personal Health Survey (PHS) to study patterns of symptomology related to physical and mental health in a population of 730 Ss, which consisted of five subgroups: felons, hospitalized alcoholics, unmarried mothers, college students and institutionalized schizophrenics. The factorial data were analyzed in terms of (a) size of item factor loadings; (b) base rates of responding True to each item; and (c) clinical judgments as to the specificity and meaning of the items and factor scale patterns. Five main factors were extracted: Factor I–General health status; Factor II–Sociopathic character disorders; Factor III–Mixed psychiatric symptoms; Factor IV–Anxiety state with psychosomatic symptoms and general nervousness; and Factor V–Schizophrenicity.