Comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness at work – construct validity of a scale measuring work-related sense of coherence

Abstract

Orientation: Work-related sense of coherence (Work-SoC) is defined as the perceived comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness of an individual’s current work situation. Research purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the factorial invariance and the construct validity of a scale that measures Work-SoC. Motivation for the study: It might be useful to specifically apply the concept of sense of coherence to the work context. Research design, approach and method: Statistical analysis was performed on crosssectional (n = 3412) and longitudinal (n = 1286) questionnaire data collected in eight medium to large Swiss companies from diverse economic sectors (four industrialproduction companies, one food-processing company, one public-administration service and two hospitals). The dataset therefore covers a broad range of different occupational groups. Main findings: Multiple-group analyses indicated that the scale’s factor structure remains invariant across different employee groups and across time. High values in job resources were related to high values in Work-SoC whereas high values in job demands were related to low values in Work-SoC. Furthermore, Work-SoC acted as a partial mediator between job resources and work engagement. Practical/managerial implications: It can be concluded that Work-SoC might serve as a practical screening instrument for assessing an employee’s perception of the potential health-promoting qualities of his or her current work situation. Contribution/value-add: The study advances both the salutogenic theory and the field of positive occupational health psychology by redefining sense of coherence as an interactional and context-specific construct that is useful for intervention research.