The factor structure of Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale in swedish clinical and nonclinical samples

doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(97)00225-0

Personality and Individual Differences

Volume 24, Issue 5, May 1998, Pages 701-711

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(97)00225-0 Get rights and content

Abstract

Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale (SOCS) were run on two clinical and two non-clinical Swedish samples (N = 915). Confirmatory factor analyses did not support the hypothesis of a single common factor measured by all SOCS items, nor the three SOC components posited by Antonovsky. Exploratory factor analysis structures were similar enough across samples to propose the existence of three more or less stable factors. Although simple structure was not obtained, the first two factors were basically equivalent to Antonovsky's meaningfulness and comprehensibility components, respectively. On the basis of the high-loading items meaningfulness was interpreted as a zest—depression dimension and comprehensibility as intolerance vs tolerance for emotional conflict. The third factor was only distantly related to manageability, with the items involved all reflecting interpersonal trust and mistrust. The validity of these interpretations was supported by differential correlations between these factors and the Depression, Anxiety and Paranoia subscales of SCL-90.

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Cited by (44)

Comparing sense of coherence, depressive symptoms and anxiety, and their relationships with health in a population-based study
2008, Social Science and Medicine
Citation Excerpt :
In addition, two manageability items and one comprehensibility item (numbered 2, 3 and 5, see Fig. 1) were more likely to measure interpersonal trust/mistrust than the manageability or comprehensibility dimensions of SOC. In previous factor-analytic studies, these items have formed their own factor, which has been interpreted as reflecting interpersonal trust or mistrust (e.g., Sandell et al., 1998). Factor analyses conducted on the present data also indicated that the structure of the SOC scale was rather ambiguous.
The strong negative correlations observed between the sense of coherence (SOC) scale and measures of depression and anxiety raise the question of whether the SOC scale inversely measures the other constructs. The main aim of the present study was to examine the discriminant validity of the three measures by comparing their associations with health indicators and behaviours. The participants were 25 to 74-year-old Finnish men (n = 2351) and women (n = 2291) from the National Cardiovascular Risk Factor Survey conducted in 1997. The SOC scale had high inverse correlations with both depression (r = −0.62 among both men and women) and anxiety measures (r = −0.57 among the men and r = −0.54 among the women). Although confirmatory factor analyses suggested that it was possible to differentiate between SOC, cognitive depressive symptoms and anxiety, the estimated correlations were even higher than those mentioned above. Education was related only to SOC, but the associations of SOC, cognitive depressive symptoms and anxiety with self-reported and clinically measured health indicators (body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol) and health behaviours were almost identical. The variation in the lowest SOC tertile was more strongly associated with health variables than in the highest tertile. To conclude, the size of the overlap between the SOC and depression scales was the same as between depression and anxiety measures. This indicates that future studies should examine the discriminant validity of different psychosocial scales more closely, and should compare them in health research in order to bring parallel concepts into the same scientific discussion.
Sense of coherence among delusional patients: prediction of remission and risk of relapse
2008, Comprehensive Psychiatry
Citation Excerpt :
However, other findings of the study suggest a more complex relationship between the variables. Some of these involve studying the differential effects of the separate components of the SOC, which should be cautiously viewed as exploratory, due to equivocal data regarding independence of these components from the concept of a single SOC factor [9,10]. Sense of coherence among acutely delusional participants was found to be similar to that found in the population at large, contradicting the “common-sense” assumption of reduction in SOC in psychotic states [13].
Delusional diseases are characterized by a remitting/relapsing course, which, in current studies, is not contextualized with experience and well-being. This study applied the salutogenic model in order to predict the course of delusional disease, using the “sense of coherence” (SOC) concept, which reflects patients' experiences of their disorder. In a prospective study, 48 delusional schizophrenic inpatients were interviewed, using self-report scales for delusions, SOC, depression and expressed emotion (EE), at 3 time points over a 1-year period, with an additional 6-month follow-up based on treatment staff reports and medical files. Sense of coherence was found to be strongly correlated with delusional symptoms over the study period. Higher SOC scores at the “acute delusional state” predicted better prognosis with regard to delusions. However, SOC was found to be lower during remission, suggesting decreased well-being during remission. Sense of coherence was found to be a stronger predictor of 1-year prognosis for delusions when EE or depression were high at the acute state. A complex relationship was found between delusions, SOC, depression, and EE, suggesting possible use of the SOC scale as a prognostic tool. In addition, the results stress the necessity of an integrative biopsychosocial treatment approach, which would include interventions aimed at enhancing elements of SOC, particularly during periods of remission. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study of SOC in delusional patients moving through remissions and relapses.
Cross-cultural validation of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale (OLQ-13) in Spanish elders aged 70 years or more
2007, Medicina Clinica
El sentido de coherencia (SOC) es un constructo relacionado con el afrontamiento de situaciones traumáticas que se ha empleado extensamente como predictor de medidas de salud percibida y objetiva. El SOC es una disposición personal hacia la valoración de las experiencias vitales como comprensibles, manejables y significativas. Esta medida se ha mostrado especialmente informativa en poblaciones envejecidas, pese a lo cual la escala no se ha validado en población española anciana. En este trabajo presentamos la validación transcultural y el estudio de las propiedades métricas de la escala de SOC de Antonovsky, de 13 ítems (OLQ-13), en una muestra de población de ancianos españoles.
La muestra estuvo compuesta por 419 personas de más de 70 años procedentes de 8 localidades españolas. Se estudiaron la aceptabilidad, asunciones escalares, consistencia interna, estructura factorial, validez de constructo (validez convergente, análisis diferenciales, correlación entre dominios) y precisión del instrumento.
La consistencia interna de la escala fue adecuada (α de Cronbach = 0,80). El SOC mostró validez convergente con medidas autorreferidas de salud física, calidad de vida y depresión. La escala también demostró ser válida en sucesivos análisis diferenciales según grupos de edad, sexo, niveles de discapacidad y de impacto funcional de enfermedades. El análisis de componentes principales ofreció una solución multifactorial con un porcentaje de la variancia explicada del 65,59%. La subescala de significación parece formar un factor independiente.
El OLQ-13 es una escala válida y fiable para su uso en poblaciones ancianas españolas, incluidos grupos con bajo nivel de instrucción.
Sense of Coherence (SOC) is a construct relating to coping strategies in the face of traumatic events. SOC is defined as a personal disposition towards perceiving life experiences as understandable, manageable and meaningful. The construct has shown itself to be a predictor of self-reported and objective health in a variety of contexts. Although the SOC construct has been studied, among the elderly in particular, the scale has never been validated in the Spanish aged population. This paper reports on the cross-cultural validation of Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence Scale (OLQ-13) in a sample of Spanish senior citizens.
We studied a sample of population from 8 locations across Spain, totaling 419 subjects aged 70 years or over. The psychometric attributes of the scale were studied. These included acceptability, scale assumptions, internal consistency, factor structure, construct validity (convergent validity, differential analyses, inter-domains correlation), and precision.
The internal consistency of the scale was adequate (Cronbach = 0.80). SOC showed moderate correlations with self-reported indices of physical health, quality of life and depression. The scale was found valid in differential analyses conducted for gender, age groups, levels of disability and functional impact of diseases. Principal components analysis yielded four factors accounting for 65.59% of the variance. The Meaningfulness domain acted as an independent factor.
The OLQ-13 is a valid and reliable instrument for use on Spanish elderly populations, including those with low educational level.
Antonovsky’s Construct of Sense of Coherence and the Tripartite Construct of Meaning in Life: Comparison and Implications
2024, Humanistic Psychologist
Analysis of the psychometric properties of the Sense of Coherence scale (SOC-13) in patients with cardiovascular risk factors: a study of the method effects associated with negatively worded items
2022, Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
The Sense of Coherence: Measurement Issues
2022, The Handbook of Salutogenesis: Second Edition

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The factor structure of Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale in swedish clinical and nonclinical samples

Abstract

Social Science and Medicine

Journal of Research in Personality

Personality and Individual Differences

Personality and Individual Differences

Health, stress and coping

Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well

Hälsans mysterium

Attitudes toward retirement in an Israeli cohort

International journal of Aging and Human Development

The salient variable similarity index for factor matching

British Journal of Statistical Psychology

Correlates of a measure of coping in older veterans: A preliminary report

Journal of Community Health

The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): A self-report symptom inventory

Behavioral Science

Psychometric characteristics of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire for measuring the sense of coherence

Polish Psychological Bulletin