[On the stability and modifiability of the sense of coherence in active seniors]

Sense of coherence: effect on adherence and response to resistance training in older people with hip fracture history

Our aim was to study the effects of sense of coherence (SOC) on training adherence and interindividual changes in muscle strength, mobility, and balance after resistance training in older people with hip fracture history. These are secondary analyses of a 12-week randomized controlled trial of progressive resistance training in 60- to 85-year-old community-dwelling people 0.5-7 years after hip fracture (n = 45; ISRCTN34271567). Pre- and posttrial assessments included SOC, knee extension strength, walking speed, timed up-and-go (TUG), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Group-by-SOC interaction effects (repeated-measures ANOVA) were statistically significant for TUG (p = .005) and BBS (p = .040), but not for knee extension strength or walking speed. Weaker SOC was associated with poorer training adherence (mixed model; p = .009). Thus, more complicated physical tasks did not improve in those with weaker SOC, independently of training adherence. Older people with weaker SOC may need additional psychosocial support in physical rehabilitation programs to optimize training response.

Kohärenzerleben im Arbeitskontext

Das gesundheitspsychologische Konstrukt sense of coherence (Kohärenzerleben; SoC) liefert eine Erklärung dafür, warum Menschen–trotz widriger Umstände–gesund bleiben. In diesem Artikel wird erstmals untersucht, ob eine bereichsspezifische, auf den Arbeitsplatz bezogene Konzeptualisierung (Work-SoC) einen über das globale Kohärenzerleben hinausgehenden Erklärungswert hat und ob sich dieses Konstrukt im Sinne einer Meta-Ressource interpretieren lässt. Für die Studie wurden 93 Pfarrsekretärinnen befragt. Insgesamt weisen die Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass es sich bei dem Kohärenzerleben am Arbeitsplatz um ein für die ABO-Psychologie nützliches Konstrukt handelt: Das Work-SoC klärt zusätzliche Varianz arbeitsbedingter Beanspruchungen auf und erweist sich als stärkerer Prädiktor als das globale SoC. Das Konstrukt lässt sich darüber hinaus im Sinne einer Meta-Ressource interpretieren, die pathogene Einflüsse von Stressoren am Arbeitsplatz reduziert und eine integrative Erklärung dafür liefert, warum personale und externale Widerstandsressourcen am Arbeitsplatz arbeitsbedingte Beanspruchungen reduzieren.

A Salutogenic Analysis of Healthy Aging in Active Elderly Persons

The authors systematically explore relationships between generalized resistance resources (GRRs), the sense of coherence (SOC), and the healthease/dis-ease (HE-DE) continuum. A sample of 170 active older adults at the mean age of 67 years filled out a comprehensive questionnaire. The results indicate that 11 GRRs significantly predicted SOC (56% of variance accounted for) and that GRRs significantly predicted the HE-DE continuum (38%). Holding GRRs constant, SOC significantly accounted for 3% additional variance in health. Finally, SOC mediated GRRs’ effects on health. SOC proved to be a complete mediator for autonomy/identity resource gains, social external health locus of control, self-efficacy, and self-esteem, and a partial mediator for activity level and social support. The findings suggest that SOC plays a central role for health maintenance and health promotion in the third age because it pools resource influences on health. The authors recommend the application of salutogenic theory to intervention.

Older people's sense of coherence: relationships with education, former occupation and living arrangements

Few studies have explored the combination of individual and contextual conditions that influence psychological health among older people. This study aimed to analyse the sense of coherence (SOC) in a sample of Italian senior citizens in relation to gender, educational level, living arrangements and former employment, when controlling for age. The short version of the SOC scale (Antonovsky 1987), which has items for the ‘comprehensibility’, ‘manageability’ and ‘meaningfulness’ components, was administered to a sample of 198 senior citizens of both genders and with an average age of 68.5 years. The findings showed that: (a) senior citizens with a higher level of education and who had retired from jobs with a high level of responsibility perceived reality as more controllable, manageable and meaningful; (b) with greater age, the perception that life's challenges are worth facing decreased; and (c) there was an interaction between living arrangements and education level,viz. those with higher education, and those with lower education living with a spouse or partner, perceived reality as more meaningful and their life challenges as worth facing. It is important to investigate further the activities that help maintain a high sense of coherence throughout the life span, and to design social policies that support senior citizens who live alone, because they appear psychologically weaker than others.