Analysis of the importance of family in the development of sense of coherence during adolescence.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this work was to study the influence of several family dimensions on sense of coherence (SOC) in adolescence, controlling the possible effects from the demographic variables, gender and age.


METHODS
The sample consisted of 7580 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18, who had taken part in the 2010 edition of the WHO Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Spain.


RESULTS
The results showed that there were no significant gender differences in SOC levels. However, age had a significant influence on SOC. Higher levels of SOC were found in adolescents aged 13 and 14 compared to older participants. Family variables explained 18% of SOC variability, with affection, easy communication with parents, and parental knowledge as the most outstanding variables. In addition, positive relationships between parents and family affluence had a significant role in explaining SOC levels.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the family context plays an important role in providing meaningful experiences for the development of a strong SOC in adolescence.
Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Seville, Spain. irenegm@us.es
Irene
I
García-Moya
Francisco
F
Rivera
Carmen
C
Moreno
Bengt
B
Lindström
Antonia
A
Jiménez-Iglesias
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires