Evaluation of the revised sense of coherence scale in a representative German sample.

<h4>Background and objectives</h4>To evaluate the Revised Sense of Coherence (SOC-R) scale in a large representative German sample.<h4>Design</h4>A nationwide household survey involving a total of 2510 face-to-face interviews.<h4>Methods</h4>In addition to the SOC...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Myriam V Thoma, Shauna L Mc Gee, Jörg M Fegert, Heide Glaesmer, Elmar Brähler, Andreas Maercker
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2018-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209550
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Summary:<h4>Background and objectives</h4>To evaluate the Revised Sense of Coherence (SOC-R) scale in a large representative German sample.<h4>Design</h4>A nationwide household survey involving a total of 2510 face-to-face interviews.<h4>Methods</h4>In addition to the SOC-R, childhood trauma and maltreatment (CTM), lifetime traumatic events (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ, and the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, LEC-5), and mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-4) were assessed.<h4>Results</h4>The final sample consisted of N = 2373 participants (52.3% females; M = 48.24 years). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a three-factor structure for the SOC-R ('manageability', 'balance', 'reflection') with acceptable indices (RMSEA .066; 90% CI [.062, .071]). Reliability analyses revealed good internal consistency (α = .87). Construct validity was supported by significant but low correlations with psychopathology. Gender marginally influenced SOC-R (t = 1.99, p = .05). Moderation analyses revealed that SOC-R exerted a protective impact on depression in the context of CTQ (t = 2.29, p < .05) and lifetime traumatic events (t = -2.37, p < .05).<h4>Conclusions</h4>This study supports the psychometric properties of the SOC-R and emphasizes the importance of considering salutogenic effects to better understand interindividual differences in the effect of adversity.
ISSN:1932-6203