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Résumé (anglais)

Background Much debate exists about the stability of the sense of coherence measure. This study examined changes in sense ofcoherence (SOC), and the variables associated with these changes, over a 4-year period, in a representative sample of the Canadian labour force (n=6,790). Methods Two methods were used to assess change in SOC: (1) Change outside of that which could be considered as indistinguishable from measurement error, and (2) Change ofmore than 10%, which was originally proposed by Antonovksy, the scale’s designer. Results Over the study period, 35.4% of the population reported changes in SOC outside the range we consider possible due to measurement error, with 58% reporting change greater than 10%. Unskilled occupations were associated with declines in SOC, with household income demonstrating a curvilinear relationship with decline in SOC in the female population only. None of the variables used predicted increases in SOC. Conclusions Given the degree of change in SOC, and the representativeness ofthe study sample, we suggest that SOC has a large state component. Given this lack of stability, we recommend caution ifusing the SOC to represent a stable global orientation within a causal context.