SENSE OF COHERENCE - A CONCEPT INFLUENCING HEALTH AND QUALITY-OF-LIFEIN A SWEDISH PSYCHIATRIC AT-RISK GROUP

We explored the predictive value of individual dispositions hypothesiz ed to be related to coping with stress and to health. The independent variables were Antonovsky's sense of coherence (SOC) and its component s - comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. Other indepen dent variables included intelligence, validity (energy level), solidit y (flexibility level) and stability (sociability level), locus of cont rol, mastery and ways of coping. The outcome (dependent) variables wer e measured both by self-rating questionnaires (the Symptom Check List and Quality of Life), by the Health Sickness Rating Scale, and by inde pendent raters using information obtained by in-depth interviews. A gr oup of 148 middle-aged subjects, considered to be at risk for psychiat ric disturbances, were drawn from a longitudinal population study in S weden, the Lundby Study, and investigated in 1988/89. The results indi cate that all the independent variables contributed to the variance of the health measures. Stepwise regression indicated that the SOC was b y far the best correlate of health and mental well-being.