1. Is there a feeling in your family that everyone understands everyone else well? * (There’s full understanding among all family members 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 There’s no understanding among family members.)
2. When you have to get things done which depend on cooperation among all members of the family‚ your feeling is: (there’s almost no chance that the things will get done 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 the things will always get done)
3. Do you have the feeling that it’s always possible‚ in your family‚ to get help one from another when a problem arises? (you can always get help from all family members … you can’t get help from family members)*
4. Let’s assume that unexpected guests are about to arrive and the house isn’t set up to receive them. Does it seem to you that: (the job will fall on one person 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 all the members of the family will pitch in to get the house ready)
5. In case an important decision has to be taken which concerns the whole family‚ do you have the feeling that (a decision will always be taken that’s for the good of all family members 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 the decision that will be taken won’t be for the good of all family members)*
6. Family life seems to you (full of interest 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 totally routine)*
7. Does it happen that someone in the family feels as if it isn’t clear to him/her what his/her jobs are in the house? (this feeling exists all the time 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 this feeling exists very rarely)
8. When a problem comes up in the family (like: unusual behavior of a family member‚ an unexpected overdraft in the bank account‚ being fired from work‚ unusual tension)‚ do you think that you can together clarify how it happened? (very little chance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 to a great extent)
9. Many people‚ even those with a strong character‚ sometimes feel like sad sacks (losers). In the past‚ has there been a feeling like this in your family? (there’s never been a feeling like this in the family1 2 3 4 5 6 7 this feeling always exists)*
10.Think of a situation in which your family moved to a new house. Does it seem to you that (all family members would be able to adjust easily to the new situation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 it would be very hard for family members to adjust to the new situation)*
11.Let’s assume that your family has been annoyed by something in your neighborhood. Does it seem to you that (nothing can be done to prevent the annoyance1 2 3 4 5 6 7 it’s possible to do a great deal to prevent the annoyance)
12.Until now your family life has had (no clear goals or purpose at all 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 very clear goals and purpose)
13.When you think about your family life‚ you very often (feel how good it is to be alive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ask yourself why the family exists)*
14.Let’s say you’re tired‚ disappointed‚ angry‚ or the like. Does it seem to you that all the members of the family will sense your feelings? (no one will sense my feelings … all the family members will sense my feelings)
15.Do you sometimes feel that there’s no clear and sure knowledge of what’s going to happen in the family? (there’s no such feeling at all 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 there’s always a feeling like this)*
16.When the family faces a tough problem‚ the feeling is (there’s no hope of overcoming the difficulties 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 we’ll overcome it all)
17.To succeed in things that are important to the family or to one of you (isn’t important in the family 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 is a very important thing for all family members)
18.To what extent does it seem to you that family rules are clear? (the rules in the family are completely clear 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 the rules aren’t clear at all)*
19.When something very difficult happened in your family (like a critical illness of a family member)‚ the feeling was (there’s no point in going on living in the family … this is a challenge to go on living in the family despite everything)
20.When you think of possible difficulties in important areas of family life‚ is the feeling (there are many problems which have no solution … it’s possible in every case to find a solution)
21.Think of your feeling about the extent of planning money matters in your family (there’s full planning of money matters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 there’s no planning about money matters at all in the family)*
22.When you’re in the midst of a rough period‚ does the family (always feel cheered up by the thought about better things that can happen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 feel disappointed and despairing about life)*
23.Does it happen that you feel that there’s really not much meaning in maintaining the family framework? (we always have this feeling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 we’ve never had a feeling like this in our family)
24.Think of your feeling about the extent of order in your home. Is the case that (the house is well-ordered 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 the house isn’t at all ordered)*
25.Let’s assume that your family is the target of criticism in the neighborhood. Does it seem to you that your reactions will be (the whole family will join together against the criticism1 2 3 4 5 6 7 family members will move apart from each other)*
26.To what extent do family members share sad experiences with each other? (there’s complete sharing with all family members … we don’t share our sad experiences with family members)*
* Reverse scoring items
1. Are you satisfied in belonging to your family?
2. Are you satisfied about the way the children are being raised? (like with their education‚ their behavior‚ their activities?)
3. Are you satisfied with the family’s way of life?
4. Are you satisfied with the possibility of expressing what you feel in your family?
5. Are you satisfied with the extent to which family members are close to each other?
6. Are you satisfied with how the family spends its leisure time?
7. Are you satisfied with the way family members communicate with each other?
8. Are you satisfied with how your family fits into the neighborhood?
9. Are you satisfied with the social relations your family has?
10.Are you satisfied with the way the family relates to the wishes of all the family members?
11.And now‚ think of what for you would be an ideal family‚ one which is perfectly adjusted. Where on the scale would you rank your family compared to the ideal family? (1 = ideally adjusted family; 7 = a family which is not at all adjusted)
Comprehensibility (1‚ 4‚ 7‚ 14‚ 15‚ 18‚ 21‚ and 24); manageability (2‚ 3‚ 5‚ 9‚ 10‚ 11‚ 16‚ 20‚ and 22); meaningfulness (6‚ 8‚ 12‚ 13‚ 17‚ 19‚ 23‚ 25‚ and 26)
This instrument can be found at: http://psych.wfu.edu/furr/362/Family%20Sense%20of%20Coherence%20Scale.pdf & Fischer‚ Joel.‚ Corcoran‚ Kevin J. (2007 ). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1‚ Page (s): 323-328.
Antonovsky‚ A.‚ & Sourani‚ T. (1988). Family sense of coherence and family adaptation. Journal of Marriage and the Family‚ 50‚ 79-92.
Antonovsky‚ A. (1993). The structure and properties of the sense of coherence scale. Social Science & Medicine‚ 36(6) ‚ 725-733.
Ostrander‚ Diane L.‚ Henry‚ Carolyn S. (1993). Measuring Adaptation in Ministers’ Families: The Modified Family Adaptation Scale. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Family Relations (Baltimore‚ MD‚1993).
Eriksson‚ M.‚ and Lindstrom‚ B.‚ (2006). Validity of Antonovsky’s sense of coherence scale: a systematic review. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. 60(5): 376–381.
Antonovsky‚ (1987‚ 1997). Sense of Coherence Scale. In: Simmons C. A.‚ Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation‚ New York‚ NY: Springer‚ pp. 245-250. (2013). Google Scholar
Antonovsky‚ A.‚ & Sourani‚ T. (1988). Family sense of coherence (FSOC) and family adaptation scales (FAS). In Fischer‚ Joel.‚ Corcoran‚ Kevin J. (2007 ). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1‚ Page (s): 323-328.