Sense of Coherence and Need for Support Among Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Abstract

The concept of sense of coherence (SOC) may be applied to explain individuals' resources for dealing with the stressors confronted in daily life. Little is known about what impact cancer in childhood may have on the development of SOC. The objectives of this study were to compare SOC between long-term survivors of childhood cancer and a comparison group and to explore the need for current support among the survivors and the association between need for support and SOC. Data were collected from 224 long-term survivors aged 18 to 37 years using the 13-item SOC scale and interviews. A matched comparison group (n = 283) randomly selected from the general population was included. There was no significant difference in the mean SOC score between the survivors and the comparison group. Twenty percent of the survivors reported a need for support, a need significantly predicted by a low SOC, as well as surgery and/or radiation treatment often in combination with chemotherapy. Long-term survivors of childhood cancer seem to have resources to cope with stressful situations in life to the same degree as people in general. Survivors with fewer resources to cope and those having received a more intense treatment were more likely to be in need of support. The concept of SOC in nursing practice may be helpful to identify and discuss an individual's resources and impediments to health to better understand the need for support among survivors of childhood cancer.