Abstract
The aim of this paper is to systematically review the available scientific publications published concerning the association between the sense of coherence (SOC), designed by Aaron Antonovsky (1923-1994), measured with the scales SOC-29 or SOC-13, and different aspects of health. The study is descriptive and integrates more than 50 scientific publications. The results are divided into the categories: Physical health; biological measures; psychological measures; health measures incorporating psychological aspects; stress; and behavioural aspects. The conclusion from this review is that SOC is highly associated with psychological aspects, including stress and behavioural aspects when SOC is operationalized with the prevailing scales. However, we were unable to show a strong association between SOC and physical health that Antonovsky had predicted. Therefore, we conclude that the SOC scale can only serve as a predictor for health that is measured by incorporating psychological aspects, while it is not capable of explaining physical health that is measured only by means of physical terms.
Highlights
In 1979 Aaron Antonovsky (1923-1994), who was affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, published a book called “Health, Stress and Coping”[1], which presented a theoretical model designed to advance an understanding of the relationship between stressors, coping and health
Among the studies that investigated the connection between sense of coherence (SOC) and physical health was a prospective Israeli study investigating the effects of SOC on the health of men and women in two kibbutzim in Israel
We found that the association to physical health seemed smudged and not as clear as what was stated by Antonovsky
Summary
In 1979 Aaron Antonovsky (1923-1994), who was affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, published a book called “Health, Stress and Coping”[1], which presented a theoretical model designed to advance an understanding of the relationship between stressors, coping and health. This model was more thoroughly and systematically developed in the book, which appeared in 1987, called “Unraveling the Mystery of Health. Antonovsky wrote: “My hypothesis, is that the strength of the SOC has direct physiological consequences and, though such pathways, affects health status”[2]
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