Does the Sense of Coherence Predict Health 10 and 20 Years Later? - Results From A Population-Based Longitudinal Study in Germany

Background: The sense of coherence (SOC) is reported to influence health, but health may also have an impact on SOC. The objective of this study was to examine the longitudinal associations between SOC and selected self-reported and physician-assessed health outcomes over a period of 10 and 20 years, and to determine the direction of the associations. Methods: We conducted a population-based, longitudinal study, involving 392 participants (204 males; mean age 43.01 years) who were followed for a median of 10 and 18 years. Analyses of variance were carried out to examine the longitudinal associations between SOC at baseline and health outcomes (i.e., self-rated health status, SHS; physical health status assessed by physician, PHS; self-reported satisfaction with life, SWL) at follow-ups. The direction of associations was examined using a cross-lagged model on correlation coefficients, adjusted for sex and age at baseline. Results: There were significant group effects for SOC at baseline on SWL at 10-year ( F = 11.91, p < .01, ηp² = .068) and at 20-year follow-up ( F = 6.68, p = .002, ηp² = .057). SHS ( r = .238, p < .01), PHS ( r = -.140, p < .05) and SWL ( r = .400, p < .01) predicted SOC at 10-year follow-up stronger than vice versa. The direction of associations between SOC and health parameters at 20-year follow-up was less consistent. Conclusions: The long-term associations between SOC and self-reported and physician-assessed health may be reciprocal in community-dwelling adults. More research is needed to examine the predictive power of health on SOC and whether interventions targeted at improving health parameters, may impact SOC.