Is Sense of Coherence Lowered by Negative Life Events?

Abstract

The present study aimed to contribute to research on sense of coherence (SOC) by answering the following questions: (1) Is SOC lowered by negative life events? (2) Is an initially low or moderate SOC lowered more by negative life events than an initially high SOC? One thousand and twelve female nurses in Sweden responded to a questionnaire on two occasions with more than 1 year apart. On both occasions the participants reported if they have experienced any of 22 negative life events during the past year and rated their SOC. The results gave negative answers to both questions. In addition, SOC was found stable over time and seems to prevent the experience of negative life events. In sum, these results corroborate Antonovsky’s main postulate that SOC is a salutogenic disposition.