Research Article
The 13-Item Sense of Coherence Scale in Dutch-Speaking Adolescents and Young Adults: Structural Validity, Age Trends, and Chronic Disease
Authors:
Koen Luyckx ,
School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development, KU Leuven, BE
Eva Goossens,
Centre for Health Services and Nursing Research, KU Leuven, BE
Silke Apers,
Centre for Health Services and Nursing Research, KU Leuven, BE
Jessica Rassart,
School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development, KU Leuven, BE
Theo Klimstra,
School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development, KU Leuven, BE
Jessie Dezutter,
Clinical Psychology, KU Leuven, BE
Philip Moons
Centre for Health Services and Nursing Research, KU
Leuven, University Hospitals of Leuven, Belgium
The Heart Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, BE
Abstract
The present study focused on the structural validity of the Dutch 13-item sense of coherence (SOC) scale, examined age trends in SOC in adolescence and young adulthood, and investigated the potential impact of chronic disease on SOC. Eight samples of Belgian high school students, college students, and young adult employees were used (total N = 2,781); 380 of them aged 14-18 years were diagnosed with congenital heart disease. The SOC-13 scale proved to be structurally valid, as configural, metric, and scalar invariance was established. In line with salutogenic theory, SOC was found to increase with age through the teens and twenties. Relatedly, whereas high school and college students did not differ on mean SOC scores, employed young adults scored significantly higher. Having congenital heart disease was associated with higher levels of SOC in 14-18 year olds: they displayed similarly high scores on SOC as healthy individuals in their late twenties.
How to Cite:
Luyckx, K. et al., (2012). The 13-Item Sense of Coherence Scale in Dutch-Speaking Adolescents and Young Adults: Structural Validity, Age Trends, and Chronic Disease. Psychologica Belgica. 52(4), pp.351–368. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/pb-52-4-368
Published on 01 Dec 2012.
Peer Reviewed
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