Sense of coherence and social support as predictors of mental health during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objectives: to verify the role of sense of coherence, sense of national coherence, social support and trust in institutions to predict mental health in Brazilians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: a cross-sectional study, carried out from November, 2020 to January, 2021 via an online survey. Standardized instruments were used. The sample consisted of 1,630 Brazilians. Pearson’s correlation and linear regression were performed in data analysis. Results: sense of coherence was the only predictor of anxiety [β= -0.61; p<0.001], explaining 38% of the variance in its scores, while sense of coherence [β= 0.52; p<0.001], sense of national coherence [β= 0.16; p<0.001], and social support [β= 0.15; p<0.001] predicted positive mental health and together explained 51% of its variance. Conclusions: the findings suggest that sense of coherence, sense of national coherence and social support represent important predictors for mental health and that strengthening these resources, could potentially promote Brazilians’ mental health.

Positive mental health and sense of coherence among emergency medical service professionals

“…In research examining the importance of social capital and SOC in relation to the mental health of refugees, findings indicated a positive association between SOC and the mental health of refugees ( 55 ). According to Penachiotti et al ( 56 ) in their article “Sense of Coherence and social support as predictors of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the results revealed that SOC acts a predictive factor for the mental health of individuals in Brazil. This study aligns with our research, although there is still limited investigation into the predictive model of PMH, where SOC can act as a predictor.…”