Sense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up study
Abstract Background Health and Sense of Coherence (SOC) has been shown to be intertwined and argued to have a reciprocal relationship. The theory of SOC implies relatively stable scores during adulthood, however there are few longitudinal studies on the association between SOC and mental and somatic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Women's Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02834-x |
| _version_ | 1827581338361790464 |
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| author | Marie Bladh Gunilla Sydsjö Lisa Ekselius Eva Vingård Sara Agnafors |
| author_facet | Marie Bladh Gunilla Sydsjö Lisa Ekselius Eva Vingård Sara Agnafors |
| author_sort | Marie Bladh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Health and Sense of Coherence (SOC) has been shown to be intertwined and argued to have a reciprocal relationship. The theory of SOC implies relatively stable scores during adulthood, however there are few longitudinal studies on the association between SOC and mental and somatic health. The main aim of the present study was to examine how SOC and self-rated health (SRH) are related during 25 years of follow-up. Methods Using paper questionnaires distributed by postal services, 415 mothers were followed from childbirth and 25 years prospectively. SOC was measured at three, 12 and 25 years after inclusion. Self-reports on health status were obtained at the 25-year follow-up. The association between SOC and self-reported health as well as the effect of sociodemographic factors and experience of stressful life events was assessed through regression models. Results SOC scores increased between three and 12 years after inclusion, and slightly decreased at the 25-year follow-up. Women of good health had a higher SOC-score at all three measurements compared to women of poor health. Multiple logistic regression showed that the likelihood of reporting good health increased with the number of times the women had reported SOC-scores above the 75th percentile. Moreover, women who had not been through a divorce were close to 60% more likely to report good health compared to women who had been through a divorce, whereas women not reporting stressful life events during the past two years were more than twice as likely to report good health. Symptoms below cut-off for postpartum depression and not having been through a divorce were associated with SOC scores above the 75th percentile. Conclusion This 25-year follow-up study of a cohort of women reports good stability of SOC assessments in the vast majority of women. There was a stronger and more stable SOC in women with better health. The findings are in line with other studies on the predictive value of SOC and self-perceived health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:34:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-078f885a401241818c6fd2c07e2abe8e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6874 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:34:57Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-078f885a401241818c6fd2c07e2abe8e2023-12-17T12:28:59ZengBMCBMC Women's Health1472-68742023-12-0123111210.1186/s12905-023-02834-xSense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up studyMarie Bladh0Gunilla Sydsjö1Lisa Ekselius2Eva Vingård3Sara Agnafors4Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping UniversityDepartment of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping UniversityWomen’s Mental Health during the Reproductive Lifespan, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala UniversityDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala UniversityDepartment of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping UniversityAbstract Background Health and Sense of Coherence (SOC) has been shown to be intertwined and argued to have a reciprocal relationship. The theory of SOC implies relatively stable scores during adulthood, however there are few longitudinal studies on the association between SOC and mental and somatic health. The main aim of the present study was to examine how SOC and self-rated health (SRH) are related during 25 years of follow-up. Methods Using paper questionnaires distributed by postal services, 415 mothers were followed from childbirth and 25 years prospectively. SOC was measured at three, 12 and 25 years after inclusion. Self-reports on health status were obtained at the 25-year follow-up. The association between SOC and self-reported health as well as the effect of sociodemographic factors and experience of stressful life events was assessed through regression models. Results SOC scores increased between three and 12 years after inclusion, and slightly decreased at the 25-year follow-up. Women of good health had a higher SOC-score at all three measurements compared to women of poor health. Multiple logistic regression showed that the likelihood of reporting good health increased with the number of times the women had reported SOC-scores above the 75th percentile. Moreover, women who had not been through a divorce were close to 60% more likely to report good health compared to women who had been through a divorce, whereas women not reporting stressful life events during the past two years were more than twice as likely to report good health. Symptoms below cut-off for postpartum depression and not having been through a divorce were associated with SOC scores above the 75th percentile. Conclusion This 25-year follow-up study of a cohort of women reports good stability of SOC assessments in the vast majority of women. There was a stronger and more stable SOC in women with better health. The findings are in line with other studies on the predictive value of SOC and self-perceived health.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02834-xSense of coherenceHealthWomenLongitudinal |
| spellingShingle | Marie Bladh Gunilla Sydsjö Lisa Ekselius Eva Vingård Sara Agnafors Sense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up study BMC Women's Health Sense of coherence Health Women Longitudinal |
| title | Sense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up study |
| title_full | Sense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up study |
| title_fullStr | Sense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up study |
| title_short | Sense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up study |
| title_sort | sense of coherence and health in women a 25 year follow up study |
| topic | Sense of coherence Health Women Longitudinal |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02834-x |
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