Affiliations: [a] Department of Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Medicine Research Group, Lund University, Sweden
| [b] Department of Health Sciences, Physiotherapy Research Group, Lund University, Sweden
| [c] Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| [d] Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden
| [e] Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sunderby Hospital, Luleå, Sweden
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Maria Nolvi, MD, Department of Health Sciences, PO Box 157, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden. Tel.: +46 46 222 1991; Fax: +46 46 222 1808; E-mail: maria.nolvi@med.lu.se.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Sense of Coherence (SOC) is important for successful adaptation and mental well-being in people with life-long medical conditions. Late effects of polio (LEoP) often lead to a life-long disability, but no study has assessed SOC in this population. OBJECTIVE:To assess SOC in persons with LEoP and to explore the association between SOC, demographics (age, gender, marital status and level of education) and variables related to LEoP (age at polio onset, number of years from polio until onset of LEoP and self-rated disability). METHOD:Ninety-three community-dwelling persons with clinically verified LEoP responded to a postal survey with the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-13). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to explore the associations with SOC. RESULTS:SOC varied considerably among the participants. The mean and median SOC-13 total sum score was 71.8 and 76 points, which is similar to age-matched non-disabled people. The number of years before onset of LEoP and self-rated disability together with the participants’ marital status and level of education explained 37% (p < 0.001) of the variance in SOC. CONCLUSION:Persons with LEoP have a level of SOC indicating that they generally have the ability to understand, handle and being motivated when dealing with stressful events and problems arising in their lives as a result of their disability. Being married and having a higher education, living many years before onset of LEoP and perceiving a mild to moderate disability contributed to a strong SOC.
Keywords: Adaptation, psychological, disabled persons, Postpoliomyelitis syndrome, rehabilitation, Sense of Coherence
