Abstract
Most geriatric screening instruments include the self-ratings of health scale as a useful collateral source of information on elders' health status and their need for social and health services. In this study, I reviewed extant research findings on subjective assessment of health and then compared the congruence and discrepancy between the commonly used self-ratings scale and the less frequently used self-perception scale as measures of longitudinal stability or changes in health status among the young-old. Analysis of data from the 1992 and 1994 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) shows that the restricted range of the self-ratings scale poses a limitation when the scale is used to measure changes in health status over time. It was also found that the self-ratings scale may reflect a more horizontal, social-comparison dimension and that the self-perception measure may reflect a more vertical, temporal-comparison dimension in subjective assessment of longitudinal changes in health status. Social workers need to be aware of the strengths and limitations of both measures when they use them.
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