The sense of coherence and its measurement

Abstract

Antonovsky developed the 29 item Orientation to Life Questionnaire to measure the sense of coherence, having 11 items measuring comprehensibility, 10 items measuring manageability, and 8 items measuring meaningfulness. The response alternatives are a semantic scale of 1 point to 7 points. The questionnaire yields a summed score with a range from 29 to 203. A shorter version of 13 questions of the original form was developed by Antonovsky, where the score ranges between 13 and 91 points, and other scales have been developed, for example, to measure the sense of coherence at the family and community levels. Antonovsky’s scales have been used in at least 49 different languages in at least 48 different countries. Recent research shows that the SOC seems to be a multidimensional construct rather than unidimensional as Antonovsky believed. Antonovsky maintained that the SOC develops until the age of 30 years, thereafter remaining relatively stable until retirement, and decreasing in old age. This assumption finds no support in subsequent empirical research. As Antonovsky hypothesized, a wealth of research shows his scales to be reliable, valid, and cross-culturally applicable instruments. Criticism of the SOC concept is described and discussed.