PW344 Associations between sense of coherence, self-perceived health and physical health status in Australian adults with congenital heart disease

According to Antonovsky's (Aaron Antonovsky, 1923–1994) sense of coherence (SOC) model, persons with a high SOC have the ability to benefit from their general defense mechanisms in order to overcome stressful situations. In a health-disease continuum, this leads to the development towards health. However, Antonovsky's global hypothesis that the strength of the SOC may influence the physical health status of a person could not be proven.Flensborg-Madsen et al. from Copenhagen were able to provide a new access regarding SOC and health. They investigated the mixture of emotional aspects and mental constructions as a possible cause for fairly low correlation between SOC and physical health. Thus, in an empirical way, they described “emotional coherence” in relation to physical health, while “mental coherence” was linked topsychologicalhealth. These authors introduced the idea of applying a shortened version of the original 29-item SOC questionnaire, but have not yet developed or tested the shortened questionnaire. Backed by their important findings, it appears to be promising to consider the use of the SOC questionnaire as standardized by Antonovsky, but cleared of the items regarding “predictability”, i.e., Flensborg-Madsen et al. suggested that the items on “predictability” be excluded from the SOC scale when a correlation to physical health is to be investigated. Further investigations in this area of research will be of high impact, not only for health sciences, but also for medical practice.

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1370: Age and Gender Differences in Quality of Life and Perceived Health of Adults With Congenital Heart Disease

European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing ◽

10.1017/147451510400300171 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 113-113 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K. Van Deyk ◽

P. Moons ◽

K. Marquet ◽

E. Raes ◽

L. De Bleser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Gender Differences ◽

Congenital Heart Disease ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Age And Gender ◽

Age And Gender Differences ◽

And Gender

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Parental reactions, distress, and sense of coherence after prenatal versus postnatal diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951119001781 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (11) ◽

pp. 1328-1334 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ewa-Lena Bratt ◽

Stina Järvholm ◽

Britt-Marie Ekman-Joelsson ◽

Antje Johannsmeyer ◽

Sven-Åke Carlsson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Congenital Heart Disease ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Prenatal Diagnosis ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Sense Of Coherence ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Complex Congenital Heart Disease ◽

Postnatal Diagnosis

AbstractIntroduction:A diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) in offspring triggers psychological distress in parents. Results of previous studies have been inconsistent regarding the psychological impact of a prenatal versus a postnatal diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the time of diagnosis on levels of parental distress.Methods:Pregnant women and their partners with a fetus diagnosed with complex CHD, parents of children with postnatally diagnosed CHD, and pregnant women and their partners with uncomplicated pregnancies were invited to participate. Data were collected during pregnancy and 2–6 months after delivery using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, sense of coherence, life satisfaction, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale.Results:During pregnancy, the prenatal group scored lower sense of coherence compared to controls (p=0.044). Postnatally the prenatal group scored lower on sense of coherence compared to the postnatal group and controls (p=0.001; p=0.001). Postnatally, the prenatal and postnatal groups had higher levels of anxiety compared to controls (p=0.025; p=0.0003). Life satisfaction was lower in the prenatal group compared to that in the postnatal group and in controls (p=0.000; p=0.0004).Conclusion:Parents with a prenatal diagnosis of CHD in offspring report a low sense of coherence already during pregnancy which decreased further at follow-up. The same group reported a lower satisfaction with life compared to parents of a child with postnatal diagnosis of CHD and parents of a healthy child. This motivates further efforts to improve counselling and support during pregnancy and for parents after a prenatal diagnosis.

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