Sense of coherence and substance use: Examining mutual influences

Abstract

Sense of coherence (SOC) is conceptualized as a mutable orientation to life, but has often been found a stable attribute of individual differences. While several studies have documented the relationship between SOC and substance use, nothing is known about mutual influences between both variables over time in adolescence. The present study examines whether changes in SOC predict changes in substance use, or whether changes in substance use predict changes in SOC. A longitudinal cross-lagged panel design was used to inspect SOC and self-reported frequency of substance use of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis over the course of ten years. Participants were 318 German adolescents aged 14–15 at the beginning of the study. Structural equation modeling indicated a single significant negative path from SOC to later cannabis use as well as one significant positive path from cannabis use to SOC. Despite a general association – high SOC corresponds to less substance use – SOC overall develops independently from substance use.