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Stability of the 13-item sense of coherence (SOC) scale: a longitudinal prospective study in women treated for breast cancer

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Abstract

Purposes

To test the stability of the SOC scale over time and to test the stability of the latent construct in 417 breast cancer patients at the time of diagnosis, after 1 year and in a subsample (n = 80) also 2 and 3 years later.

Methods

The 13-item SOC scale was firstly tested with mean values and ICC over time and secondly explored with cross-sectional factor analysis, separately for two time points (baseline and after 1 year), followed by a longitudinal factor analyses.

Results

Our results provide support for the stability over time (ICC 0.68, effect size 0.06). The cross-sectional factor analysis revealed a modified three-factor and a second-order factor model meeting criteria for goodness of fit. The longitudinal modified second-order factor model confirmed the construct stability character of the SOC scale with an acceptable goodness-of-fit criteria; X 2/df = 2.91; GFI = 0.87; RMSEA = 0.07; CFI = 0.84; AIC = 962.3. The proportion of variance (R 2) was 0.42.

Conclusions

The SOC scale is stable over time when applied to women with breast cancer. The longitudinal factor analysis gives support of a stable latent construct in the second-order factor model, allowing for merging all items to one scale reflecting the theoretical construct of SOC. Measurement errors between some items challenge future studies on alternative factor structures.

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Acknowledgments

The authors express gratitude to the following who participated in the initial planning, recruitment of patients and data collection: Leif Bergkvist, Li Bjelkebo, Lena Boman Engqvist, Yvonne Brandberg, Fuat Celebiuglo, Staffan Eriksson, Inga-Lill Fredriksson, Jan Frisell, Göran Liljegren, Helena Sackey and Viveca Åberg. Richard Smith provided linguistic advice. This study was supported by the Swedish Breast Cancer Association (BRO), Jakob och Johan Söderberg Foundation and Percy Falk Foundation, Sweden.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Carina Lindblad

  2. Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    Carina Lindblad & Kerstin Sandelin

  3. Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Kerstin Sandelin

  4. Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Lena-Marie Petersson

  5. Department of Health, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Camelia Rohani

  6. Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ann Langius-Eklöf

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  1. Carina Lindblad
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Correspondence to Carina Lindblad.

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Lindblad, C., Sandelin, K., Petersson, LM. et al. Stability of the 13-item sense of coherence (SOC) scale: a longitudinal prospective study in women treated for breast cancer. Qual Life Res 25, 753–760 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1114-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1114-4

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