Sense of coherence: quality of life before and after coronary artery bypass surgery — a longitudinal study

Abstract

The attention to patient outcome has nowadays extended from morbidity and mortality to an aspect of patients' benefits in terms of quality of life. One factor crucial for quality of life is coping capacity, in this study represented by the sense of coherence concept. Physical status and emotional state (often measured by comprehensive instruments not always suitable for clinical use) are also additionally used to reflect quality of life. The purpose was therefore to study sense of coherence and emotional state as indirect measures of quality of life in relation to coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. One hundred and eleven patients were studied by a developed questionnaire on five occasions in relation to the surgery: the week before the angiography, the day before surgery and then at 3, 6, and 12 months post-operatively. The main findings were: (1) The sense of coherence was changed (more than +/-10%) from before to 1 year after surgery in 41% of the patients, which is contrary to the theory of sense of coherence as a stable personality characteristic in adults. (2) Experience of depressed mood, stress, and anxiety decreased significantly from before to after surgery. (3) Beneficial outcome with regard to sense of coherence was significantly related to less experience of loneliness, depressed mood, stress and anxiety, and to less experience of chest pain 1 year after surgery. In conclusion, sense of coherence and emotional state variables, are suggested to be valuable as measurements of quality of life in relation to coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

Health Related Quality of Life and Sense of Coherence in Sudanese Diabetic Subjects with Lower Limb Amputation

“…Importantly, the better sense of coherence in Sudanese diabetic subjects with LLA was linked to worse functional and mobility status per se, as it correlated negatively to both physical functioning and role physical indicating remarkable failure in coping capacity in relation to amputation (Karlsson et al 2000). Gender differences were not observed grouping this study, however, women were shown to score relatively low on SOC due to exclusive social factors in the community rather than biological differences (Erikson and Lindström 2005).…”

Unmet Information and Communication Needs in the Intermediate Recovery from Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

“…Sharing "common" experiences can ease efforts to cope with the experienced drama, and initiate as well as keep up day-to-day activities involving lifestyle changes and secondary prevention recommendations. Although previous studies report that measures of 'sense of coherence' as stable post CABG (24), findings from this study highlight that health providers should be aware of individuals' needs expressed as challenges to maintain role expectations, and uncertainty or existential questions to support male and female CABG convalescents' 'sense of coherence' (5).…”

Sense of coherence as an independent predictor of health-related quality of life among coronary heart disease patients

“…It is a global orientation to view life as structured, manageable and meaningful. Independent of the measure used, a stronger SOC has been shown to be associated with better HRQoL in persons who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) [17,18], cardiac arrest survivors [19] and angina patients [20]. Furthermore, a positive association between high SOC and good HRQoL has been found among patients with lower-limb ischaemia [21], patients hospitalised with a cardiac condition [22], CHD patients [23] and in men as well as older women following myocardial infarction [24,25].…”