The adult sense of coherence scale is applicable to 12-year-old schoolchildren--an additional tool in health promotion.
BACKGROUND
Two principal operations of sense of coherence (SOC) for the study of adults have been developed, one consisting of 29 and another consisting of 13 items. According to these studies, SOC is associated with various aspects of perceived health. Also, a 16-item scale for determining SOC in young children (<or=10 y) is available. It is unclear from which age on SOC can be studied by using any of the scales for adults.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the 13-item SOC scale for adults is applicable to children 12 y of age.


METHODS
Comparable data of SOC had been collected by a mail survey directed to adults (mean age 36 y, n=706) in 1985. Twelve-year-old children filled in questionnaires in school class in 1997 (n=994).


RESULTS
SOC score range, mean, median and standard deviation (SD), and Cronbach alpha coefficients of the total SOC scale were almost identical in children and adults.


CONCLUSIONS
The 13-item SOC scale aimed at adults is applicable to children of 12 y of age or older. The SOC scale could be a useful additional tool for identifying children with perceived health deficits potentially in need of supportive interventions.
Honkinen
Päivi-Leena
PL
Institute of Clinical Medicine, Family Medicine, University of Turku, Unit of Family Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. paivi-leena.honkinen@utu.fi
Suominen
Sakari
S
Rautava
Päivi
P
Hakanen
Jari
J
Kalimo
Raija
R
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012718:Set, Psychology