Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Sense of Coherence

Abstract

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, the ensuing pandemic, and the related containment measures pose considerable challenges to psychological resilience and well-being. Researchers are now forced to look for resources to cope with negative experiences linked to this health emergency. According to the salutogenic approach proposed by Antonovsky, the sense of coherence (SOC) is a major source of resilience. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the role of SOC in moderating the link between illness experiences (in terms of knowing persons diagnosed with COVID-19 and fear of contracting COVID-19) and psychological well-being. 2,784 participants, taken from a large sample of the Italian population (65.4% females) and aged between 18 and 85 years, filled in an anonymous online survey during the 3rd week of the lockdown. Findings supported the moderating role of SOC in shaping the link between illness experiences and psychological well-being. Specifically, participants who knew at least one person diagnosed with COVID-19 showed lower levels of psychological well-being at low levels of SOC. The negative relation between participants' fear of contracting COVID-19 and psychological well-being was stronger for those who showed higher levels of SOC. This study discusses the implications of these results for interventions aimed at reducing the pandemic's detrimental effects and promoting resilience.

Individual, social and national coping resources and their relationships with mental health and anxiety: A comparative study in Israel, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands during the Coronavirus pandemic

“…It appears that one's personal ability to view life as comprehensive, manageable, and meaningful in the chaotic reality of a global pandemic is the most important coping resource in different national and social contexts. This finding supports similar results related to the important role of SOC in the time of COVID-19 ( 23 ) and cumulative research from over 30 years that confirms the salutogenic hypothesis ( 5 ): a strong sense of coherence (SOC) in the face of hardship enables and advances successful coping and results in less anxiety and better mental health. Understanding the role of coping resources, especially SOC, in promoting mental health during a crisis can lead to a more holistic and salutogenic health care system.…”

Hope and Resilience During a Pandemic Among Three Cultural Groups in Israel: The Second Wave of Covid-19

“…Likewise other studies during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., Barni et al, 2020 ) the most significant and meaningful factor that most powerfully explained the psychological/emotional distress in the three cultural groups was SOC, with its three dimensions of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness.…”

Suffering and Salutogenesis: A Conceptual Analysis of Lessons for Psychiatry From Existential Positive Psychology (PP2.0) in the Setting of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Similarly, researchers assessing the role of the SOC in influencing mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic have found results that are broadly supportive of the salutogenic framework. In particular, a weak SOC was associated with an increased likelihood of "probable depression or anxiety disorder" across eight countries (Genereux et al, 2020); a similar result was obtained in samples of adults from Italy and Germany (Barni et al, 2020;Schafer et al, 2020). The authors of the latter paper explicitly recommended interventions aimed at enhancing SOC in vulnerable individuals.…”