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Sense of coherence and psychosocial factors among adolescents
Author(s) -
Myrin B,
Lagerström M
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.00801.x
Subject(s) - feeling , psychosocial , medicine , girl , socioeconomic status , scale (ratio) , mental health , multivariate analysis , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , cross sectional study , psychology , psychiatry , social psychology , population , environmental health , physics , pathology , quantum mechanics
Aim: The overall aim of the present study was to investigate whether there was a relationship between sense of coherence and psychosocial factors among adolescents. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted in a sample of pupils in year eight from comprehensive schools in Stockholm city, selected with regard to socioeconomic area. In the final sample of the study there were 383 pupils: 196 girls and 187 boys. Two questionnaires, the Sense of Coherence Scale and the Health Profile Scale measuring health behaviour, were used to collect data. Results: Girls showed a significantly more negative outcome compared with boys, in eight psychosocial factors. The most pronounced difference between boys and girls was seen in feeling depressed: 17% and 54% respectively. Five factors proved to be associated with low SOC in the multivariate analysis: life dissatisfaction, feeling depressed, worries about family members, poor psychosomatic health and being a girl. Conclusion: The findings reveal domains where adolescents, especially girls, seem to be more vulnerable. Psychosomatic health and mental health are related to low sense of coherence.