scholarly journals Sense of Coherence and Physical Health. Testing Antonovsky’'s Theory

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 2212-2219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trine Flensborg-Madsen ◽  
Søren Ventegodt ◽  
Joav Merrick
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Mental Construct ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
The University

In a previous paper, we argued that the original 29-item sense of coherence (SOC) scale developed by Aaron Antonovsky (1923–1994) was insufficient according to its reflection of SOC. The purpose of this study was to create a new version of the original 29-item SOC scale in order to test his hypothesis of a causal link between SOC and physical health. This shorter version was built on the exact same idea, theory, and conceptualization used by Antonovsky, which resulted in a SOC scale containing only 9 abstract questions. These nine questions, in addition to two questions about physical and psychological health, made up a questionnaire answered by 100 people at the entrance hall of the University Medical Center (Rigshospitalet) in Copenhagen. According to Antonovsky’s famous hypothesis, a strong association should be found between SOC and physical health, but surprisingly, we found that the new scale was falsifying the hypothesis, with a correlation between SOC and physical health of only r = 0.044 (NS). However, a highly significant correlation was found with psychological health with r = 0.502 (p= <0.0005). The authors are in a predicament since we strongly believe in Antonovsky’s famous idea of the relationship between SOC and health. However, we believe that it is our emotional aspects that primarily determine our physical health, which we will demonstrate in a subsequent study, but the reason we did not find any significant correlation in this study was the fact that our nine-item SOC scale was very mental (mental in the sense of applying to conscious cognition and attitude). We consider the mental aspects to determine our psychological health and the emotional aspects to determine our physical health. Our conclusion is that the original 29-item SOC scale mixed a few emotional aspects into the otherwise mental construct, which is the reason for the relatively low correlations found until now, when using the original scale.

scholarly journals Why is Antonovsky's sense of coherence not correlated to physical health? Analysing Antonovsky's 29-item sense of coherence scale (SOC-29)

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 767-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trine Flensborg-Madsen ◽  
Søren Ventegodt ◽  
Joav Merrick
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Statistical Evidence ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Positive Results

We have previously concluded that the use of the Antonovsky sense of coherence (SOC) scale was unable to document a predicted strong association between SOC and physical health. By way of statistical methods, numerous studies have investigated the validity, reliability and applicability of the SOC scale with positive results. However, this paper analyses whether the questions in the SOC scale actually represent the universe of factors necessary to describe the phenomenon of SOC, which we believe is an important supplement to the statistically means of investigating validity and reliability. In this paper we explore theidea,the concepts,the theoryandthe operationalisationbehind the SOC Scale. The conclusions are: 1) it seems that Antonovsky's basic idea of coherence, for which he coined the term sense of coherence, as the basis for the highly popular salutogenic orientation is outstandingly good, in spite of the lack of statistical evidence; 2) the chosen key explanatory concepts ofcomprehensibility,manageability, andmeaning, seems to be a fair, although mental, conceptualisation of this idea; 3) Antonovsky's theory was unfortunately much less clear, as Antonovsky assumed predictability to be very important for the sense of coherence, especially for comprehensibility and manageability. This notion of predictability leaves its footprints in his operationalization of SOC into the SOC Scale. Our analysis convinced us that the SOC scale is unlikely to be a fair materialization of the idea of coherence and thus unlikely to measure SOC correctly.

scholarly journals Sense of Coherence and Physical Health. A “Copenhagen Interpretation” of Antonovsky's SOC Concept

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 451-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Christian Endler ◽  
Thomas M. Haug ◽  
Heinz Spranger
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
High Impact ◽  
Physical Health Status ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Aaron Antonovsky ◽  
Possible Cause

According to Antonovsky's (Aaron Antonovsky, 1923–1994) sense of coherence (SOC) model, persons with a high SOC have the ability to benefit from their general defense mechanisms in order to overcome stressful situations. In a health-disease continuum, this leads to the development towards health. However, Antonovsky's global hypothesis that the strength of the SOC may influence the physical health status of a person could not be proven.Flensborg-Madsen et al. from Copenhagen were able to provide a new access regarding SOC and health. They investigated the mixture of emotional aspects and mental constructions as a possible cause for fairly low correlation between SOC and physical health. Thus, in an empirical way, they described “emotional coherence” in relation to physical health, while “mental coherence” was linked topsychologicalhealth. These authors introduced the idea of applying a shortened version of the original 29-item SOC questionnaire, but have not yet developed or tested the shortened questionnaire. Backed by their important findings, it appears to be promising to consider the use of the SOC questionnaire as standardized by Antonovsky, but cleared of the items regarding “predictability”, i.e., Flensborg-Madsen et al. suggested that the items on “predictability” be excluded from the SOC scale when a correlation to physical health is to be investigated. Further investigations in this area of research will be of high impact, not only for health sciences, but also for medical practice.

scholarly journals Impact of home quarantine due to COVID-19 among Bangladeshi population

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
S. M. Mustofa Kamal ◽  
Md. Feroz Kabir ◽  
Mohammad Habibur Rahman ◽  
Jalal Uddin ◽  
Md. Sujon Hosen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Living Area

COVID-19 is an emergency public health issue and home quarantine can prevent the transmission. Quarantine restricts the people’s mobility and it has a silent impact on physical, psychological and economical aspect. The purpose was to explore the impact of home quarantine among the general population in Bangladesh. This was a descriptive type of cross sectional survey with 600 samples from different district of Bangladesh by convenient sampling with a structured and language validated questionnaire. The results indicate the huge impact of home quarantine. Among 600 participants, 71.7% (n=430) showed impact on their psychological health, 48.5% (n=291) physical health and 82.5% (n=495) on their economy. Study showed strong association between gender and psychological impact (p&lt;0.01) and very strong association between living area and their psychological impact (p&lt;0.00).There has also very strong association between their occupation and impact on their economy (p&lt;0.00). Home quarantine has a progressive negative impact on the individual’s psychological health, physical health and their economy. Individual’s gender, living area and occupations are strongly associated with those negative impacts due to home quarantine. Supporting agency should take initiative to mitigate this all negative impacts of home quarantine and need to develop protocol for maintaining for health during quarantine time.

scholarly journals Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing

2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 338-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen A. Baikie ◽  
Kay Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Psychological Outcomes ◽  
Therapeutic Tool ◽  
Writing Paradigm ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
Emotional Events ◽  
Do So

Writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events has been found to result in improvements in both physical and psychological health, in non-clinical and clinical populations. In the expressive writing paradigm, participants are asked to write about such events for 15–20 minutes on 3–5 occasions. Those who do so generally have significantly better physical and psychological outcomes compared with those who write about neutral topics. Here we present an overview of the expressive writing paradigm, outline populations for which it has been found to be beneficial and discuss possible mechanisms underlying the observed health benefits. In addition, we suggest how expressive writing can be used as a therapeutic tool for survivors of trauma and in psychiatric settings.

scholarly journals What do we know about University Academics’ Mental Health? A Systematic Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Urbina
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
University Environment ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The University

There has been a growing interest on the negative influence that the environment of higher education institutions has on the mental health of academics, and there is evidence to suggest that the university environment is jeopardising academics’ physical and psychological health. This study sought to review the international literature with a view to ascertaining what the most commonly used measures are to investigate this topic, including the main stressors and coping strategies reported/used by academics and their lived experiences. A thorough review of the literature was conducted, and 28 studies were identified and critically analysed. The review concludes that there is compelling evidence that the university environment is triggering high levels of stress and burnout and low levels of wellbeing for academics. There is extremely limited research on the perceptions and lived experiences of academic staff. It is virtually unknown, what coping strategies academics use to face job demands, and our knowledge about burnout, seems to be limited by the use of one particular measure without cultural adaptations.

scholarly journals Perceived Physical and Psychological Health in Middle Adulthood : Links to Marital Satisfaction, Age of Marriage, and SES

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-54
Author(s):  
Nilay Pekel Uludağlı ◽  
Şeyda Pekçetin
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Marital Relationship ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Middle Adulthood ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
Age Of Marriage

Background: The life course health development approach, as a new theoretical model relating to health, dwells on psychosocial factors as well as biological factors, and it proposes that the effects of developmental timing unfolding over one’s lifespan should be considered. Based on this theoretical model, as well as empirical studies relating to marriage and health, one of the psychosocial factors that may contribute to the health of middle-aged individuals is the marital relationship. Aims: The aim of this study – conducted with individuals in middle adulthood – is to investigate the relationships between marital satisfaction, age at the time of marriage, SES (socioeconomic status) and psychological and physical health. Method: Data was collected from middle-aged individuals between 40–69 years in Turkey (160 women and 142 men). The World Health Organization Quality of Life Measurement Tool, Brief Symptom Inventory, Marriage Life Scale, and a Demographic Information Form were used to assess the participants’ perceived physical and psychological health, their marital satisfaction, their age of marriage, and SES. Results: A path analysis indicated that the age of marriage was positively related, and perceived psychological health problems were negatively related to perceived physical health. Both marital satisfaction and SES were negatively related to perceived psychological health problems. Upon examination of the mediator role of psychological health problems and SES, it was observed that both marital satisfaction and SES were related to perceived physical health through perceived psychological health problems. Also, the age of marriage was related to perceived psychological health problems via SES. Conclusion: The findings showed that marriage is an important component in the evaluation of perceived health in middle age; individuals are healthier when they get married at a more mature age and have a positive marital relationship.

scholarly journals Correlation between the health of first-year students and adaptation to educational environment of a medical university

2020 ◽  
pp. 38-55
Author(s):  
Marina Borisovna Chizhkova
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Educational Environment ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
The University ◽  
Medical University

&nbsp; The article presents the results of research on the place and role of health in the process of adaptation of future physicians to educational environment of a medical university. The subject of this article is the dependence of physical and psychological health of first-year students on the of adaptation and anxiety indicators in the university. The research methodology is based on the representation of health as the fundamental determinant responsible for the dynamic balance between students and the new conditions of professional becoming. Methodological toolset contains the following psychological techniques: questionnaires &ldquo;Adaptation of Students in the University&rdquo; (T. D. Dubovitskaya, A. V. Krylova), &ldquo;Anxiety of the Students&rdquo; (modification of the questionnaire J. Taylor), MOS SF-36 questionnaire (J. E. Ware, adapted by E. I. Shubochkina and co-authors.). The research was conducted during one academic year and consisted of two stages: October 2018 and in April 2019; reference set involved 120 first-year students (63 and 57 people respectively). Implementation &phi;-Fisher multifunctional, parametric Student&rsquo;s t-test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, interpretation and summary of statistical data analysis allowed making conclusions that comply with the set goal advanced hypotheses: the dynamics of subjective assessment by first-year students of their physical and psychological health is characterized with the extended physical and social functioning, endurance, life activity in the context of lower level of role functioning substantiated by the emotional distress; dependence of health on adaptation and anxiety indicators is most evident during the fall semester and least evident in the spring semester; shift of this vector from academic to social adaptation, as well as substantial reduction in the number of intercorrelations, mainstream the problem of the dynamics of determinant impact of health upon the success of initial educational period. The acquired data can find practical implementation in development of theoretical-methodological framework for coordinating the adaptation process of first-year students to the educational environment of a medical university. &nbsp;

scholarly journals The Current Health and Wellbeing of the Survivors of the Rana Plaza Building Collapse in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (13) ◽  
pp. 2342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Humayun Kabir ◽  
Myfanwy Maple ◽  
Md Shahidul Islam ◽  
Kim Usher
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Building Collapse ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Emotional Outcomes ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study aims to identify the ongoing physical and psychological health vulnerabilities of the readymade garment (RMG) factory workers involved in the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013, along with their experiences within the current socioeconomic and political contexts of Bangladesh. Seventeen Rana Plaza survivors participated in unstructured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews. Interviews were thematically analyzed using Haddon’s matrix to examine pre-event, event, and post-event injury experiences. The collapse of the Rana Plaza building resulted in significant physical and emotional trauma for those who survived the event. The majority of the participants were forced to attend work on the day of the collapse. Participants reported physical health complaints related to bone injuries/fractures and amputation, severe headache, kidney problems, and functional difficulties. In addition to the reported physical health issues, the participants revealed psychological health issues including trauma, depression and suicidal ideation, sleep disorders, anxiety, and sudden anger. Participants described barriers to their potential for re-employment in the RMG sector and outlined their limited access to free healthcare for follow-up treatment. Those who survived the collapse of the Rana Plaza building continue to experience significant adverse physical and emotional outcomes related to the disaster. Yet, they have little recourse to ensure the availability of adequate health care and rehabilitation. Given the international reliance on the Bangladeshi RMG industry, continued pressure to ensure care is provided for these survivors, and to reduce the risk of future disasters, is necessary.

Study on Sports Games Based on Smart Materials

2014 ◽  
Vol 484-485 ◽  
pp. 22-25
Author(s):  
Juan Li
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Smart Materials ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Development Education ◽  
Physical Health Problems ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health

Health has been an important topic on which the human being is very concerned. If the human civilization intends to pass on from generation to generation, the life must continue. As the juveniles and children are the successors of the future of mankind, therefore, their health has been paid more and more attention. As a survey showed, in recent years, China's juvenile physical health problems became more and more serious. With the decline of physical fitness, the psychological health is also severely affected. These problems would affect our future development. Education in form of sports games is an effective method for the juveniles, which can not only develop a fit body and a healthy mind of them, but also explore their intelligence and change their mentality. This article through the researches on sports games based on smart materials identifies the influence of sports games on the juvenile's physical and psychological health, intelligence and personality and so on, in hopes of playing an active role in guiding the juveniles health development.

scholarly journals Sense of Coherence and Physical Health. A Cross-Sectional Study Using a New Scale (SOC II)

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 2200-2211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trine Flensborg-Madsen ◽  
Søren Ventegodt ◽  
Joav Merrick
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Degree Of Association

In this study, we constructed a new sense of coherence scale (SOC II), where we eliminated the notion of predictability (that life is meant to be predictable), which was present in the original SOC scale developed by Aaron Antonovsky (1923–1994) (SOC-29 and SOC-13). Our hypothesis was that SOC II would show a higher degree of association with physical health than the original SOC scale. In order to test this idea, we used a cross-sectional study including 4,648 Danes and used the three different health measures: self-evaluated physical health, physical symptoms, and self-evaluated psychological health. We found that SOC II was positively associated with all three health measures with the correlation coefficients 0.338, 0.282, and 0.578, respectively. Furthermore, we found dose response tendencies for all three health measures across groups of SOC, since health improved with a higher SOC. By means of regression analysis, we found that SOC was significantly associated with all three health measures after stratifying for demographic variables, life style variables, life form variables, and attitude variables, respectively. We conclude from this study that the SOC II scale we developed seems better associated with physical health than found with the original SOC scale. We also postulate that the concept of predictability was irrelevant, or even disturbing, and should not be included in the SOC scale.

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