Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T07:25:35.016Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The “Sense of Coherence” and the coping capacity of patients with Parkinson disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2012

Gisela Pusswald*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Martina Fleck
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Johann Lehrner
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Dietrich Haubenberger
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Germain Weber
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Eduard Auff
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Gisela Pusswald, PhD, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. Phone: +00431404005772; Fax: +00431404005714. Email: [email protected].

Abstract

Background: Antonovsky's salutogenic model of the “Sense of Coherence” (SOC) is an important resource in dealing with chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate SOC as a psychological factor and its correlation with illness, subjective well-being, and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) compared to patients with other chronic diseases.

Methods: Fifty-one patients suffering from PD and 59 participants with other chronic non-neurological diseases took part in this study. The PD patients were assessed through medical routine examinations and all participants were asked to complete several questionnaires for psychological assessment. In order to compare controls with the PD group, t-tests, U-tests, and multivariate analysis were conducted. Multiple regression analysis was calculated to identify predictor variables.

Results: Patients with PD were characterized by lower SOC and higher scores concerning depression compared to the control group (CG). Furthermore, the PD group showed fewer active coping strategies and lower scores concerning well-being. There were correlations between depression, coping, well-being and QoL, and SOC. The SOC had a particular predictive value with regards to the outcome “quality of life” and coping strategies.

Conclusions: There are a number of differences regarding psychological characteristics of coping mechanisms in neurological and non-neurological patients. The SOC correlated with several psychological factors; however, there was no correlation with medical data. The SOC predicts scores pertaining coping mechanism and health-related QoL.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aarsland, D., Marsh, L. and Schrag, A. (2009). Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease. Movement Disorders, 24, 21752186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Antonovsky, A. (1979). Health, Stress and Coping. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the Mystery of Health: How People Manage Stress and Stay Well. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Antonovsky, A. (1993). The structure and properties of the Sense of Coherence scale. Social Science & Medicine, 36, 725733.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Antonovsky, A. and Franke, A. (1997). Salutogenese – Zur Entmystifizierung der Gesundheit. Tübingen: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verhaltenstherapie.Google Scholar
Auff, E. and Kalteis, K. (2010). Bewegungsstörungen. In Lehrner, J., Pusswald, G., Fertl, E., Strubreither, W. and Kryspin-Exner, I. (eds.), Klinische Neuropsychologie. Grundlagen, Diagnostik, Rehabilitation (pp. 295308). Wien: Springer.Google Scholar
Bach, M., Nikolaus, T., Oster, P. and Schlierf, G. (1995). Depressionsdiagnostik im Alter. Die “Geriatric Depression Scale”. Z Gerontol Geriatr, 28, 4246.Google ScholarPubMed
Bengel, J., Strittmatter, R. and Willman, H. (1999). What Keeps People Healthy? The Current State of Discussion and the Relevance of Antonovsky's Salutogenic Model of Health. Cologne: Federal Centre for Health Education (FCHE).Google Scholar
Bengtsson-Tops, A., Brunt, D. and Rask, M. (2005). The structure of Antonovsky's sense of coherence in patients with schizophrenia and its relation to psychopathology. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 19, 280287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berger, K., Broll, S., Winklelmann, J., Heberlein, I., Müller, T. and Ries, V. (1999). Untersuchungen zur Reliabilität der deutschen Version des PDQ-39. Ein krankheitsspezifischer Fragebogen zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität von Parkinson Patienten. Aktuelle Neurologie, 26, 180184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caap-Ahlgren, M. and Dehlin, O. (2004). Sense of Coherence is a sensitive measure for changes in subjects with Parkinson's disease during 1 year. Scandinavian Journal of Caring, 18, 154159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Declerck, C. H., Boone, C. and De Brabander, B. (2006). On feeling in control: a biological theory for individual differences in control perception. Brain and Cognition, 62, 143176.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goetz, C. G. et al. (2004). Movement Disorder Society Task Force Report on the Hoehn and Yahr Staging Scale: status and recommendations. Movement Disorders, 19, 10201028.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gunzelmann, T., Schumacher, J. and Brähler, E. (2000). Das Kohärenzgefühl bei älteren Menschen: Zusammenhänge mit der subjektiven Gesundheit und körperlichen Beschwerden. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie, Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, 48, 245265.Google Scholar
Hardt, J., Petrak, F., Egle, U. T., Kappis, B., Schulz, G. and Küstner, E. (2003). Was misst der FKV? Eine Überprüfung des Freiburger Fragebogens zur Krankheitsverarbeitung bei Patienten mit unterschiedlichen Erkrankungen. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, 32, 4150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herschbach, P. (2002). The “Well-being paradox” in quality-of-life research. Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik und Medizinsche Psychologie, 52, 141150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, J., Markowisch, H. J. and Denzler, P. (2000). MMST: Minimental Status Test. Deutschsprachige Fassung. Weinheim: Beltz.Google Scholar
Mancuso, C. A., Peterson, M. G. and Charlson, M. E. (2000). Effects of depressive symptoms on health-related quality of life in asthma patients. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 15, 301310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mellqvist, M., Wiktorsson, S., Joas, E., Ostling, S., Skoog, I. and Waern, M. (2011). Sense of coherence in elderly suicide attempters: the impact of social and health-related factors. International Psychogeriatrics, 23, 18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muthny, F. A. (1989). Freiburger Fragebogen zur Krankheitsverarbeitung. Weinheim: Beltz.Google Scholar
Nilsson, I., Axelsson, K., Gustafson, Y., Lundman, B. and Norberg, A. (2001). Well-being, sense of coherence, and burnout in stroke victims and spouses during the first few months after stroke. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 15, 203214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peto, V., Jenkinson, C., Fitzpatrick, R. and Greenhall, R. (1995). The development and validation of a short measure of functioning and well being for individuals with Parkinson's disease. Quality of Life Research, 4, 241248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 10691081.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryff, C. D. and Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schädler, S. et al. (2006). Parkinson Syndrom: Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS): Motorische Untersuchung. Assessment in der Neurorehabiliation. Bern: Hans Huber Verlag.Google Scholar
Schumacher, J., Wilz, G., Gunzelmann, T. and Brähler, E. (2000). Die Sense of Coherence Scale von Antonovsky. Teststatistische Überprüfung in einer repräsentativen Bevölkerungsstichprobe und Konstruktion einer Kurzskala. Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik und Medizinische Psychologie, 50, 472482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Timmermann, L., Maier, F., Eggers, C., Schmidt, M. and Kalbe, E. (2010). Dementia in morbus Parkinson: reasonable diagnostics and rational therapy. Fortschritte in der Neurologie und Psychiatrie, 78, 513518.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wiesmann, U., Wendlandt, S. and Hannich, H. J. (2004). Salutogenese im Alter. Kohärenzgefühl und psychosoziale Widerstandsressourcen älterer aktiver Menschen. Zeitschrift für Gerontopsychologie und -psychiatrie, 17, 179193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams-Gray, C. H. E. A. (2009). The distinct cognitive syndromes of Parkinson's disease: 5 year follow-up of the CamPaIGN cohort. Brain, 132, 29582969.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wright, S. L. and Persad, C. (2007). Distinguishing between depression and dementia in older persons: neuropsychological and neuropathological correlates. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 20, 189198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed