[A sense of coherence and mental disorders]

Abstract

Sense of coherence, a health-promoting life orientation, i.e. perceiving the world as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful, was compared in three groups: of healthy controls (37 males and 45 females), neurotic patients (31 males and 54 females), and hospitalized patients with depressive syndrome defined according to DSM-IV criteria (13 females). Two self-report questionnaires were used in the study: Antonovsky's SOC-29 scale measuring the sense of coherence, and SCL-90-R by Derogatis, measuring psychopathological symptoms intensity. As hypothesized, psychopathology level in the groups under study was significantly differentiated, being most marked in patients with depression. Sense of coherence and all its constituents turned out to be significantly lower in both clinical groups as compared to controls; the lowest SOC level was noted in depressive patients. Moreover, in the latter group, in contradistinction to the other two, significant correlations between sense of coherence (SOC) and general self-rated health (positive correlations), and between SOC and symptoms intensity (negative correlations) have disappeared. Due to the small size of the depressive group it was possible only to suggest a hypothesis explaining the findings, namely, that the SOC protective function disappears in persons situated far away from the "health" pole of the health-disease continuum.