Discriminant validity of sense of coherence vs trait anxiety in explaining emotional state in an experimental task

Prior work has indicated that sense of coherence and trait anxiety are overlapping constructs. This study assessed this overlap in explaining emotional states during a task situation. Participants were 150 students, randomly assigned to a control and an experimental group. The experimental task was to put a jigsaw puzzle together under time pressure. Sense of coherence (SOC) and trait anxiety were measured at baseline. The dependent variables, positive and negative emotions, were measured three times: at baseline, soon before the task, and after finishing the task. As expected, at each measurement point correlations between emotional state and sense of coherence did not differ significantly from the absolute values of the relevant correlations with trait anxiety. Also, from a repeated-measures perspective, for Low SOC vs High trait anxiety and also for High SOC vs Low trait anxiety, similar explanatory power for changes in emotional state was noted. The results support doubts in literature about insufficient discriminant validity of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire as a measure of the salutogenic construct.