title: Salutogenesis and the Monks of Athos, Greece: A Spiritual Health Promotion?
abstract: Context • A cohort of studies on secular populations has indicated the role that religiosity plays in psychological well-being. An increase in the participation in religious activity has been shown to have a positive correlation with beneficial mental health outcomes. Internationally, few studies exist regarding the sense of coherence (SOC) of monks. SOC is a health asset related to stress management skills. Objective • The study aimed to assess the SOC of monks who lived at Mount Athos, Greece, and to determine its correlation with demographic characteristics. Design • The type of design was a descriptive cross-sectional study using convenience sampling. Setting • The study took place at Mount Athos in 2 monasteries and 1 skete, which is an organized community that consists of several monastic huts that belong to a communal monastery. Participants • Of the 215 monks living in the 2 monasteries and the skete, 166 monks participated. Outcome Measures • Data were collected from May-August 2012, using a structured questionnaire that was divided into 2 parts: (1) a demographic section (8 items) and (2) the Sense of Coherence (SOC-13) survey. Results • The mean age of participants was 45.5 y ± 13.0. Of the 166 monks participating, 139 (83.7 %) lived in communal monasteries, and the mean time of participation in monasticism was 18.4 ± 12.1 y. The mean value on the SOC-13 scale was 65.7 ± 6.5. According to the multiple regression analyses, the number of years in monasticism presented a positive correlation with the SOC score (β = 0.12, SE = 0.04, P = .003), whereas the number of daily hours of sleep presented a negative correlation with the SOC score (β = -1.34, SE = 0.50, P = .008). Conclusions • The monks seemed to have a strong SOC and, therefore, adequate stress management skills. Religious spirituality may help individuals in coping with daily life. More evidence-based studies need to be implemented to highlight the correlation between Orthodox Christian monasticism and SOC.
authors.forename: Kyriakoula
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Merakou
authors.forename: Euthalia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kyklou
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Antoniadou
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karageorgos
authors.forename: Ermolaos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doufexis
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbouni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006115:Greece; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065830:Monks / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D060685:Sense of Coherence / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D029181:Spirituality; D013997:Time Factors