Association between sense of coherence and health and well-being among older survivors of a natural disaster: a prospective outcome-wide study

Hikichi, Hiroyuki; Shiba, Koichiro; Aida, Jun; Kondo, Katsunori; Kawachi, Ichiro

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-43672-z

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 38 publications

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“…A high and stable SoC is likely to predict better coping in a stressful situation, nevertheless, it might not be enough when faced with a difficult life situation, depending on its severity. A Japanese study investigated the protective nature of SoC among older adults exposed to housing damage due to earthquake and following tsunami in 2011 [ 13 ]. They found that high SoC was protective against high mental distress when exposed to a smaller damage, but not when the exposure was more severe.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sense of coherence, mental health, and hair cortisol concentrations among older people during the COVID -19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Koppner,

Lindelöf,

Iredahl

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

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Background A person’s sense of coherence (SoC) is likely to affect coping when exposed to a life changing event like the COVID -19 pandemic, which impacted the older population especially hard, an age group that already suffers from a lot of mental illness. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the associations between SoC and mental health in older adults using both screening scales and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC). Method A cross-sectional design studying a cohort of 70–80 years old, N = 260, set in Swedish primary care during the pandemic years 2021–2022. Instruments used are sense of coherence 13 (SoC-13), EQ-5D-3L, Geriatric depression scale 20 (GDS-20), Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and Perceived stress scale 10 (PSS-10). Sociodemography and factors concerning SoC, and mental health are explored. HCC are measured using radioimmunoassay. Outcome measures are factors independently associated with SoC. Linear regression models were performed with SoC as dependent variable, and priory path analyses explored whether associations with SoC were direct, or indirect via anxiety. Results SoC was significantly associated with anxiety (p < 0.001), perceived economic status (p = 0.003), belief in the future (p = 0.001), and perceived negative mental effect from the COVID -19 pandemic (p = 0.002). The latter was 96% indirectly associated with SoC (p < 0.001), whereas perceived economic status together with belief in the future was 82% directly associated with SoC (p = 0.17). HCC and sex were not significantly associated with SoC, but, noticeably, high HCC was equally distributed between women and men. Women reported significantly lower quality of life (p = 0.03), and more symptoms of anxiety (p = 0.001) and depression (p < 0.001). Conclusion Anxiety, belief in the future, perceived negative effect on mental health due to the pandemic, and perceived economic status were significantly associated with SoC. Anxiety is suggested to be important in explaining the association between perceived negative mental effect from the COVID-19 pandemic and SoC. Women reported significantly poorer mental health and life quality than men.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sense of coherence, mental health, and hair cortisol concentrations among older people during the COVID -19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Koppner,

Lindelöf,

Iredahl

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Sense of Coherence, mental health, and hair cortisol concentrations among older people during the COVID -19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Koppner,

Lindelöf,

Iredahl

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background A person’s sense of coherence (SoC) is likely to affect coping when exposed to a life changing event like the COVID − 19 pandemic, which impacted the older population especially hard, an age group that already suffers from a lot of mental illness. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the associations between SoC and mental health in older adults using both screening scales and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC). Method A cross-sectional design studying a cohort of 70–80 years old, N = 260, set in Swedish primary care during the pandemic years 2021–2022. Instruments used are sense of coherence 13 (SoC-13), EQ-5D-3L, Geriatric depression scale 20 (GDS-20), Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and Perceived stress scale 10 (PSS-10). Sociodemography and factors concerning SoC, and mental health are explored. HCC are measured using radioimmunoassay. Outcome measures are factors independently associated to SoC. Linear regression models were performed with SoC as dependent variable, and priory path analyses explored whether associations with SoC were direct, or indirect via anxiety. Results SoC was significantly associated to anxiety (p < 0.001), perceived economic status (p = 0.003), belief in the future (p = 0.001), and perceived negative mental effect from the COVID − 19 pandemic (p = 0.002). The latter was 95% indirectly associated with SoC, and perceived economic status together with belief in the future was 82% directly associated with SoC. HCC and sex were not significantly associated to SoC, but women had somewhat higher HCC than men, though not significantly, and women reported significantly lower quality of life (p = 0.03), and more symptoms of anxiety (p = 0.001) and depression (p < 0.001). Conclusion Anxiety, belief in the future, perceived negative effect on mental health due to the pandemic, and perceived economic status were significantly associated with SoC. Anxiety is suggested to be important in explaining the association between perceived negative mental effect from the COVID-19 pandemic and SoC. Women reported significantly poorer mental health and life quality than men.

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The impact of climate change-related disasters on mental health and epigenetics: a narrative review

Roe,

Khov,

Kim

et al. 2024

Front. Epigenet. Epigenom.

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Climate change has contributed to an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters such as droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods, leading to both immediate physical harm and long-term mental health consequences. Survivors often experience psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as a result of these traumatic events. This narrative review explores the intersection of climate change-related disasters, mental health outcomes, and epigenetic modifications. Specifically, we summarize recent findings on how environmental stressors influence both mental health and epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation, could mediate the effects of climate change-related stress on mental health, potentially contributing to the onset of mental disorders like depression, panic disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We also discuss other epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone modifications and non-coding RNAs, and emphasize the importance of longitudinal studies to capture the dynamic nature of epigenetic changes over time. Finally, we propose future research directions to deepen our understanding of the complex relationships between climate change-related disasters, mental health outcomes, and epigenetic mechanisms, which will pave the way for more effective mental health interventions and policy integration.

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Association between sense of coherence and health and well-being among older survivors of a natural disaster: a prospective outcome-wide study

Cited by 3 publications

References 38 publications

Sense of coherence, mental health, and hair cortisol concentrations among older people during the COVID -19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Sense of coherence, mental health, and hair cortisol concentrations among older people during the COVID -19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Sense of Coherence, mental health, and hair cortisol concentrations among older people during the COVID -19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

The impact of climate change-related disasters on mental health and epigenetics: a narrative review

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