The Health Opinion Survey reconsidered: dimensionality, reliability, and validity

Investigated psychometric properties of the Health Opinion Survey (HOS) in terms of dimensional characteristics and factor invariance. The study also explored relationships of the HOS with family and job strain, dissatisfaction with the work environment, and the occurrence of physical disorders. Data were collected from two independent samples of U. S. Navy enlisted personnel (N = 505 and 722). Results indicated that the total HOS scale possessed acceptable internal consistency, but could be reduced to reflect physical and psychological distress dimensions. Validities against the various criteria ranged from .13 to .42. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research that concerns the stress-situation/symptom-score perspective.