Longitudinal factor analysis models in the assessment of the stability of sense of coherence

The present study examined the stability of sense of coherence using longitudinal factor analysis models. Sense of coherence was measured by Antonovsky's [Antonovsky, A. (1987a). Unraveling the mystery of health. How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.] short-form (13-item) Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ). Analyses were carried out using one-year follow-up data consisting of 219 Finnish employees working in four organizations. A three-step analytic procedure was used. First, a one-factor, a three-factor, and a second-order factor model were specified and compared separately in two measurements. Second, the stability of the constructs in the three alternative models were tested by longitudinal factor analysis models. Third, changes in the level of the latent factors over time were studied. The results showed that the three-factor and the second-order factor model fitted the data better than the one-factor model. Sense of coherence was also found to be a moderately stable personality factor across the one-year period. Mean changes in the latent factors (i.e., total sense of coherence and its three components) over time were not found. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.