“Hope is the Engine of Life”; “Hope Dies with the Person”: Analysis of Meaning Making in FAO-Supported North Caucasus Communities Using the “Sense and Sensibilities of Coherence” (SSOC) Methodology

Abstract

The previously adapted Sense of Coherence Scale, short form (SOC-13), was administered in Russian to 232 randomly selected consenting participants from three groups of FAO-supported farming-based intervention project beneficiaries in the North Caucasus. Analysis of SOC-13 subscales revealed that “meaningfulness” scores were significantly higher than “comprehensibility” and “manageability” scores for all three groups. Qualitative data gathered with the integrated Sense and Sensibilities of Coherence (SSOC) methodology illuminated the quantitative data. Hope was highlighted as the key component of meaning making, anchoring human resilience as measured by the SOC-13. Methodological and humanitarian policy questions for further research are outlined.