title: Sense of coherence and quality of life in older in-hospital patients without cognitive impairment--a 12 month follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relation between sense of coherence (SOC) and quality of life (QoL) among older persons has been found in some, but not all, studies and mostly in studies with cross-sectional design. We wanted to study if SOC was associated with domains of QoL at hospitalization and one year later among persons 65 years and above without cognitive impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  At hospitalization (T1) and 12 month follow-up (T2) QoL and cognitive status were assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF and the Mini-Mental State Examination. At baseline, the 13-item version of the SOC scale was used to assess coping, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms. Level of functioning was rated using Lawton and Brody's scales for physical self-maintenance and instrumental activities of daily living (personal and instrumental ADL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 165 (80 men) persons with a mean age of 77.7 (SD 6.9) years were included. The proportion of people rating their overall QoL as high had decreased from T1 to T2. The mean score on QoL- physical domain had increased, while the mean score of QoL-environmental domain had decreased. In adjusted regression analyses at T1, a high level of SOC was positively associated with QoL in three of four domains, i.e. physical, psychological and environmental, but level of SOC assessed at T1 was not associated with any domain of QoL at T2. Personal ADL was associated with some domains of QOL at T1 and T2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SOC level was associated with older adult's QoL during hospitalization but not their QoL one year after the hospital stay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Institutt for samfunns medisin, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Postboks 8905, Trondheim NO-7491, Norway. Anne-Sofie.Helvik@ntnu.no.
authors.forename: Anne-Sofie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Helvik
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Engedal
authors.forename: Geir
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Selbæk
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D060685:Sense of Coherence