Stress, social support, and sense of coherence

In the Salutogenic Model Aaron Antonovsky suggested that a sense of coheren ce (SOC) is the key determinant in the maintenance of health. He theorized that individuals with a strong SOC have the ability to la) define life even ts as less stressful (comprehensibility (b) mobilize resources. to deal wit h encountered stressors (manageability), and (c) possess the motivation des ire, and commitment to cope (meaningfulness). To determine the effects of S OC on health outcomes, a greater understanding of the development and maint enance of SOC is necessary. Data from the 1994 Canadian National Population Health Survey were analyzed to investigate the effects of stress, social s upport; and recent traumatic life events on SOC. As predicted, stress and r ecent traumatic events were found to be inversely related to SOC, and socia l support was positively related Traumatic events encountered in childhood were stronger predictors of SOC than traumatic life events experienced in a dulthood.