Sense of coherence and depression

Sense of coherence (SOC) is a positive way of looking at life and an ability to successfully manage stressful situations. People with a strong SOC are thought to cope better with stress because they consider stressors to be more predictable, have confidence in their own ability to deal with them and view pressures as meaningful challenges. A strong SOC has been associated with good subjective health, a lower frequency of sickness absence in women and a reduced risk of heart disease in male, white-collar workers. Researchers from the University of Turku in Finland looked into the links between SOC and depression in a study of 1,645 people. They found that people who had a strong SOC at the start of the study were less likely to suffer from depression, both a year and nine years later.

Luutonen, Sinikka ... [et al] - Weak sense of coherence predicts depression: 1-year and 9-year follow-ups of the Finnish Outcomes of Depression International Network (ODIN) sample Journal of Mental Health,
February 2011; 20(1): 43–51