The factor structure of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence scale in Swedish clinical and nonclinical samples

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. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.