Salutary mechanisms in the relationship between stress and health: The mediating and moderating roles of Sense of Coherence – Revised
Results of a scientific study on the role of sense of coherence – revised (SOC-R) in the relationship between stress and health in an Irish population; conducted within the scope of the National Research Programme 76 (NRP 76): “Welfare and Coercion – Past, Present and Future”.
This study was led by Dr. Shauna Rohner (formerly Mc Gee), under the direction of Principal Investigators PD Dr. Myriam V. Thoma and Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Maercker; in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Alan Carr, Clodagh Cogley, and other researchers.
Background
This article deals with the relationship between stress and health and focuses on two different types of stress: (1) Acute stress, which is short-term stress, such as daily life stresses or being a victim of a violent crime. (2) Chronic stress, which is long-term stress, can include things like long-term unemployment or financial stress. This article focuses specifically on chronic stress experienced during childhood or adolescence (e.g., experiences of trauma, abuse, neglect, or maltreatment), also called early-life adversity. Both types of stress have been shown to negatively influence people’s mental and physical health.
For a long time, research focused on the negative side of stress to gain a better understanding of the relationship between stress and health. However, a newer resilience (positive) perspective tries to look at strengths in this relationship. This more positive approach includes research on the revised concept of “Sense of Coherence” (SOC-R), which describes the ability to balance positive and negative life experiences in order to maintain good health. There are three parts to someone’s SOC-R: (1) Manageability – the ability to deal with difficult situations; (2) Balance –the ability to deal with life experiences and feelings; and (3) Reflection – the ability to consider different perspectives. Previous research suggests that someone’s SOC-R can explain the connection from stress to health, and a strong SOC-R can better reduce the negative effect of stress on health. However, there is a lack of research on this topic, with few studies looking at acute stress, and no studies looking at physical health.
Aim of the Study
To better understand the role of SOC-R in the relationship between stress and health, this study aimed to examine different ways in which SOC-R could be related to acute stress, as well as early-life adversity (a chronic stress), and health in (older) adults in Ireland.
Data Collection and Participants
People could participate in this study if they were Irish individuals aged 50 years or older. Participants were recruited to the study using different methods, including online advertisements, newsletters, as well as putting up flyers in public spaces such as in shops or libraries. A total of 531 people participated in the study, 310 were females and 221 were males. Participants were aged between 50 and 86 years. Almost half of the participants had a university level education and a third had a secondary school education. At the time of the study, 49.3% of participants were employed, and the rest were either unemployed or retired. On average, participants reported low to medium levels of early-life adversity and moderate levels of acute stress. Participants completed either an online or paper-and-pencil survey about their socio-demographic information, sense of coherence, acute stress, early-life adversity (chronic stress), mental and physical health, and their satisfaction with life.
Findings
For acute stress, the results showed that SOC-R and the Manageability aspect played a role in the relationship between acute stress and mental health, as well as satisfaction with life. For early-life adversity (chronic stress), the Manageability aspect of SOC-R played a role in the relationship between early-life adversity and mental health, as well as satisfaction with life; and the Balance aspect of SOC-R played a role in the relationship between early-life adversity and physical health.
SOC-R and acute stress:
· The study showed that SOC-R (and specifically the Manageability aspect of SOC-R) explained part of the relationship between acute stress and mental health, as well as satisfaction with life. This means that if a person reports more acute stress and has a weaker SOC-R (and Manageability), the worse their mental health tends to be. However, the stronger the person’s SOC-R (and Manageability), the better their mental health tends to be. This same pattern was found for satisfaction with life.
· Another key finding was that a person with a strong SOC-R (and Manageability) had better mental health compared to a person with a weaker SOC-R (and Manageability). A strong SOC-R (and Manageability) reduced the negative effect of acute stress on mental health.
SOC-R and early-life adversity:
· The study showed that the Manageability aspect of SOC-R explained part of the relationship between early-life adversity and mental health, as well as satisfaction with life. This means that if a person reports more early-life adversity and has a weaker SOC-R Manageability, the worse their mental health tends to be. However, the stronger the person’s SOC-R Manageability, the better their mental health tends to be. This same pattern was found for satisfaction with life.
· The study also found that the Balance aspect of SOC-R explained part of the relationship between early-life adversity and physical health. This means that if a person reports more early-life adversity and has a weaker SOC-R Balance, the worse their physical health tends to be. However, the stronger the person’s SOC-R Balance, the better their physical health tends to be.
Conclusion
The results of this study are a very relevant addition to the existing research on the relationship between stress and health. Two new findings were particularly important: (1) The role of SOC-R in the relationship between acute stress and mental health, as well as satisfaction with life; and (2) the role of SOC-R Balance in reducing the negative effect of early-life adversity on physical health. The findings may suggest that a person’s SOC-R can have a protective effect on their mental and physical health in certain stressful situations. Next steps include long-term studies with other participants, such as different age ranges, education levels, and stress experiences.