Longitudinal factor analysis models in the assessment of the stability of sense of coherence Taru Feldt*, Esko Leskinen, Ulla Kinnunen, Saija Mauno 1 University of Jyva Èskyla È, Department of Psychology, PO Box 35, FIN-40351, Jyva Èskyla È, Finland Received 21 August 1998; received in revised form 15 January 1999; accepted 5 March 1999 Abstract 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 speci®ed 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 ®tted 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. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Orientation to Life Questionnaire; Sense of coherence; Stability; Longitudinal factor analysis 1. Introduction According to Antonovsky (1979), an individual with a strong sense of coherence will, Personality and Individual Dierences 28 (2000) 239±257 0191-8869/99/$ - see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0191-8869(99)00094-X www.elsevier.com/locate/paid * Corresponding author. Tel.: +358-14-601211; fax: +358-14-602841. E-mail address: tafe@psyka.jyu.® (T. Feldt) 1 Taru Feldt, Ph.Lic, and Saija Mauno, MA, are researchers and Ulla Kinnunen, Ph.D., is a professor at the Department of Psychology, University of JyvaÈskylaÈ. Esko Leskinen, Ph.D., is a professor at the Department of Statistics, University of JyvaÈskylaÈ.