Sense of Coherence and COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study

• Published in: The journal of psychology Vol. 155; no. 7; pp. 657 - 677
• Main Authors: Danioni, Francesca, Sorgente, Angela, Barni, Daniela, Canzi, Elena, Ferrari, Laura, Ranieri, Sonia, Iafrate, Raffaella, Regalia, Camillo, Rosnati, Rosa, Lanz, Margherita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Provincetown Routledge 2021; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Longitudinal studies; Mental health; Pandemics; Repeated Measures Latent Profile Analysis (RMLPA); salutogenic approach; Self report; Sense of coherence; Time use; Within-subjects design
• ISSN: 0022-3980; 1940-1019; 1940-1019
• DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2021.1952151

The strong restrictive measures adopted in 2020 against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy have deeply affected the general population's mental health. In the current longitudinal study, we specifically focus on sense of coherence (SOC), both in terms of comprehensibility/manageability and meaningfulness, among a large sample of Italian adults; SOC is a potential resource likely to foster the ability to cope with stressors. A total of 2,191 Italian participants (65.8% female) aged 18-82 completed an anonymous online self-report questionnaire at Time 1 (during the lockdown, March 2020) and at Time 2 (at the resumption of most activities, July 2020). The Repeated Measures Latent Profile Analysis (RMLPA) allowed us to identify seven different SOC profiles based on the change in both SOC dimensions, ranging from a strong "crisis" in terms of this resource in the face of the pandemic to a solid possibility to count on it. Interestingly, female and younger respondents were more likely to belong to those profiles characterized by lower levels of SOC, and these profiles have specific relations with fear and wellbeing. The implications of these results and the further expansion of the study are discussed. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2021.1952151 .