Does the experience of international mobility improve the sense of coherence in students?

    Authors

    Keywords

    sense of coherence, students mobility

    DOI

    https://doi.org/10.15836/ccar2016.588

    Full Text

    **Introduction:** The sense of coherence is the basic construct of salutogenesis and the key in identifying personal advantages when dealing with problems, therefore a protective factor of health. The essential components of the sense of coherence are comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, and they have a common influence in maintaining health considering the dynamics of life cycles. (1) The age of adolescence is marked by numerous changes that have an important influence on heterostasis. (2) The thesis that a high sense of coherence is reflected through a higher capacity for dealing with stressful situations and is a predictor of positive health outcomes is one of the foundations of salutogenesis. Therefore, the main goal is to find the possibilities for improving the level of sense of coherence on a daily basis. The possibilities are endless, in all age groups and in different aspects of human life. The aim of this study is to define in what measure has the international mobility of students, as a newer teaching format in nursing schools, influenced the feeling of coherence in students. **Methods:** For the purpose of research the students were surveyed before and after international mobility. Sense of coherence was measured by Antonovsky’s Orientation to Life Questionnaire, which includes 29 items in a seven-point Likert-type scale that provides a global score where a higher score indicates a stronger sense of coherence. (3) Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for data analysis. The IBM SPSS Statistics and Data Mining Server (DMS) (4) software was used for analysis. **Results:** There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in regard to the values of sense of coherence before and after mobility (p=0.44), but DMS analysis did discover specifics in certain domains of the sense of coherence after mobility. **Conclusion:** This research expands knowledge in the field of sense of coherence and contributes to the expansion of new knowledge and it is a step toward promotion of health in adolescents.

    Literature

    1. Antonovsky A. Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 1987.
    2. García‐Moya I, Rivera F, Moreno C. School context and health in adolescence: The role of sense of coherence. Scand J Psychol. 2013;54(3):243–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12041
    3. Eriksson M, Lindström B. Validity of Antonovsky’s sense of coherence scale: a systematic review. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005;59:460–6. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2003.018085
    4. Gamberger, D. & Šmuc, T. (2001). Poslužitelj za analizu podataka []. Zagreb, Hrvatska: Institut Rudjer Bošković, Laboratorij za informacijske sustave. http://dms.irb.hr/
    Cardiologia Croatica
    Back to search

    Does the experience of international mobility improve the sense of coherence in students?

    Extended Abstract
    Issue10-11
    Published
    Pages588
    PDF via DOIhttps://doi.org/10.15836/ccar2016.588
    sense of coherence
    students mobility

    Authors

    Ivica Matić*ORCIDSchool of Nursing Mlinarska, Zagreb, Croatia
    Vesna JurešaORCIDUniversity of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia

    *Correspondence email: ivica.matic3@skole.hr

    Full Text

    Introduction: The sense of coherence is the basic construct of salutogenesis and the key in identifying personal advantages when dealing with problems, therefore a protective factor of health. The essential components of the sense of coherence are comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, and they have a common influence in maintaining health considering the dynamics of life cycles. (1) The age of adolescence is marked by numerous changes that have an important influence on heterostasis. (2) The thesis that a high sense of coherence is reflected through a higher capacity for dealing with stressful situations and is a predictor of positive health outcomes is one of the foundations of salutogenesis. Therefore, the main goal is to find the possibilities for improving the level of sense of coherence on a daily basis. The possibilities are endless, in all age groups and in different aspects of human life. The aim of this study is to define in what measure has the international mobility of students, as a newer teaching format in nursing schools, influenced the feeling of coherence in students.

    Methods: For the purpose of research the students were surveyed before and after international mobility. Sense of coherence was measured by Antonovsky’s Orientation to Life Questionnaire, which includes 29 items in a seven-point Likert-type scale that provides a global score where a higher score indicates a stronger sense of coherence. (3) Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for data analysis. The IBM SPSS Statistics and Data Mining Server (DMS) (4) software was used for analysis.

    Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in regard to the values of sense of coherence before and after mobility (p=0.44), but DMS analysis did discover specifics in certain domains of the sense of coherence after mobility.

    Conclusion: This research expands knowledge in the field of sense of coherence and contributes to the expansion of new knowledge and it is a step toward promotion of health in adolescents.

    Literature

    1. 1.
      Antonovsky A. Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 1987.
    2. 2.
      García‐Moya I, Rivera F, Moreno C. School context and health in adolescence: The role of sense of coherence. Scand J Psychol. 2013;54(3):243–9.DOI
    3. 3.
      Eriksson M, Lindström B. Validity of Antonovsky’s sense of coherence scale: a systematic review. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005;59:460–6.DOI
    4. 4.
      Gamberger, D. & Šmuc, T. (2001). Poslužitelj za analizu podataka []. Zagreb, Hrvatska: Institut Rudjer Bošković, Laboratorij za informacijske sustave.Link