Sense of Coherence and Stress-Related Resilience: Investigating the Mediating and Moderating Mechanisms in the Development of Resilience Following Stress or Adversity

Abstract

Background: Trauma, stress, and adversity are well-known for having lasting negative effects on health. Yet, not all individuals go on to develop psychopathology or impaired health. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms which influence the development of stress-related resilience. Sense of coherence-revised (SOC-R) may play a role in this process, as it is formed through overcoming stress or adversity. It may also influence the steeling effect, which suggests that previous exposure to moderate adversity increases resilience to later adversities.Objectives: This study aimed to examine the mediating and moderating roles of SOC-R in the relationship between stress or adversity, and psychological health and well-being. It further aimed to investigate the role of SOC-R in steeling processes.Methods: The study used a longitudinal design, with data collection at baseline and one-year follow-up. Participants included (N = 238) Swiss older adults (Mage = 68.3 years). Standardized questionnaires assessed early-life adversity, recent chronic stress, SOC-R, and current health and well-being. Mediation and moderation analyses examined the mechanisms underpinning stress-related resilience and curvilinear associations assessed steeling.Results: Results showed that the Manageability subscale of SOC-R significantly moderated the relationship between chronic stress and general mental health (b = 0.04, 95% CI [0.007, 0.082], t = 2.32, p < 0.05). Furthermore, SOC-R significantly mediated the relationship for general mental health (GMH) and satisfaction with life (SWL) with childhood emotional neglect (GMH: b = −0.056, 95% BCa CI [−0.126, −0.002]; SWL: b = −0.043, 95% BCa CI [−0.088, −0.004]), childhood physical neglect (GMH: b = −0.100, 95% BCa CI [−0.232, −0.002]; SWL: b = −0.081, 95% BCa CI [−0.181, −0.002]), and chronic stress (GMH: b = −0.052, 95% BCa CI [−0.100, −0.001]; SWL: b = −0.055, 95% BCa CI [−0.097, −0.020]). No curvilinear associations were observed between stress or adversity and SOC-R.Conclusions: This study expands on the limited research on stress-related resilience by examining the role of SOC-R in the interactions between adversity, stress, and health. Future research should examine SOC-R in samples with a greater range and different types of adversity. Overall, findings suggest that SOC-R is an important mechanism underpinning the development of stress-related resilience.

Buffering PTSD in Canine Search and Rescue Teams? Associations with Resilience, Sense of Coherence, and Societal Acknowledgment

“…In the current study, manageability indirectly affected symptoms of re-experiencing via resilience. The finding confirms previous evidence of an association between sense of coherence and resilience [15] and corresponds to the assumption that sense of coherence presents an overlapping aspect of resilience [44]. It is also consistent with research on other rescue groups that observed associations between resilience and PTSD [7,12,13].…”

Correlates of mental health in occupations at risk for traumatization: a cross-sectional study

“…A further shortcoming of current research is that some of the very rare longitudinal studies only assess healthpromoting factors after prior exposure to several stressors. This may have already impaired healthpromoting factors which might influence their assessment [103,104]. Thus, future studies should assess individuals at the beginning of their professional careers and include assessments of childhood adversity, which was recently found to impact on coping with occupational stressors in later life [105].…”

Correlates of mental health in occupations at risk for traumatization: A cross-sectional study

“…A further shortcoming of current research is that some of the very rare longitudinal studies only assess health-benefitting factors after prior exposure to several stressors. This may have already impaired health-benefitting factors which might influence their assessment [97,98]. Future large-scale studies should assess health-benefitting factors as early as possible and more than twice to identify their causal influence on emerging psychopathological symptom burden.…”