The Sense of Coherence, Self-Perception of Aging and the Occurrence of Depression Among the Participants of the University of the Third Age Depending on Socio-Demographic Factors

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of Participants (n=315)

Category		Mean ± SD	n	%
Age		68.4±4.611
Age group	60–65 years of age		86	27.3
	66–70 years of age		136	43.2
	71–75 years of age		70	22.2
	76–82 years of age		23	7.3
Gender	Female		289	91.7
	Male		26	8.3
Education	Primary		26	8.3
	Secondary		198	62.9
	Higher		91	28.9
Marital status	Single		19	6.0
	Married		219	69.5
	Divorced		18	5.7
	Widowed		59	18.7
Offspring quantity	No children		26	8.3
	One		65	20.6
	Two		140	44.4
	Three		57	18.1
	Four and more		27	8.6

Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.

Table 2 Descriptive Statistics of SOC and Its Components: The Sense of Comprehensibility, Manageability and Meaningfulness

SOC	n	Range	Mean ± SD	Median
Sense of comprehensibility	315	19–75	46.6 ± 9.9	47.0
Sense of manageability	315	17–69	46.6± 8.6	47.0
Sense of meaningfulness	315	18–56	37.6 ± 7.6	39.0
Global SOC	315	62–102	130.7± 23.2	132.0

Abbreviations: SOC, sense of coherence; SD, standard deviation.

Table 3 Distribution of SOC Scale Values and Its Domains: Low, Average and High Values (n=315)

Parameters	Global SOC	Sense of Comprehensibility	Sense of Manageability	Sense of Meaningfulness
	n (%) of Participants	n (%) of Participants	n (%) of Participants	n (%) of Participants
Low	28 (8.9)	29 (9.2)	25 (7.9)	50 (15.9)
Average	237 (75.2)	156 (49.5)	252 (80)	250 (79.4)
High	50 (15.9)	130 (41.3)	38 (12.1)	15 (4.8)

Abbreviation: SOC, sense of coherence.

Figure 1 Distribution of attitudes towards one’s own old age among survey participants.

Table 4 Statistical Characteristics of the SOC Scale and Its Domains Depending on Attitudes Towards Old Age

Parameters	Global SOC	Sense of Comprehensibility	Sense of Manageability	Sense of Meaningfulness
Self-Perceptions of Aging	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD
Negative	87.1 ± 15.5	33.1 ± 7.2	30.9 ± 7.5	23.0 ± 4.0
Neutral	111.8 ± 16.6	39.9 ± 7.3	40.8 ± 5.8	31.1 ± 6.1
Positive	139.9 ± 17.5	49.7 ± 8.9	49.5 ± 7.1	40.7 ± 5.3
H	H (df=2, n=315)	H (df=2, n=315)	H (df=2, n=315)	H (df=2, n=315)
	=126.000	=83.497	=103.062	=125.582
p-value	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001

Notes: H – Kruskal–Wallis test. Post-hoc analysis: Global SOC: negative vs neutral p = 0.051, negative vs positive p <0.001, neutral vs positive p <0.001. Comprehensibility: negative vs neutral p = 0.137, negative vs positive p <0.001, neutral vs positive p <0.001. Manageability: negative vs neutral p =0.028, negative vs positive p <0.001, neutral vs positive p <0.001. Meaningfulness: negative vs neutral p =0.042, negative vs positive p <0.001, neutral vs positive p <0.001.

Abbreviations: SOC, sense of coherence; SD, standard deviation.

Table 5 Distribution of GDS Scale Values According to Attitudes Towards Old Age (n=315)

Parameters	Without Depression	Depression of Increasing Severity	p-value
Self-Perceptions of Ageing	n (%) of Participants	n (%) of Participants
Negative	0 (0)	17 (100)	<0.001
Neutral	16 (22.5)	55 (77.5)
Positive	201 (88.5)	26 (11.5)

Abbreviation: GDS, Geriatric Depression Scale.

Table 6 Statistical Characteristics of the SOC Scale and Its Domains Depending on the Occurrence of Depression (n=315)

Parameters	Global SOC	Sense of Comprehensibility	Sense of Manageability	Sense of Meaningfulness
Depression	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD
Without depression	140.2 ± 17.1	49.8 ± 8.6	49.6 ± 7.0	40.9 ± 5.1
Depression of increasing severity	109.8 ± 21.2	39.6 ± 9.1	39.9 ± 8.1	30.3 ± 7.0
p-value	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001

Abbreviations: SOC, sense of coherence; SD, standard deviation.

Table 7 Distribution of SOC Scale Values (Low, Average, High) According to Explanatory Variables

Parameters	SOC	Low	Average	High	p-value
N Participants = 315		n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
Gender	female	23 (8)	220 (76.1)	46 (15.9)	0.265
	male	5 (19.2)	17 (65.4)	4 (15.4)
Age group	60–65 years of age	9 (10.5)	65 (75.6)	12 (14)	0.396
	66–70 years of age	13 (9.6)	100 (73.5)	23 (16.9)
	71–75 years of age	6 (8.6)	52 (74.3)	12 (17.1)
	76–82 years of age	0 (0)	20 (87)	3 (13.0)
Education	primary	3 (11.5)	20 (76.9)	3 (11.5)	<0.001*
	secondary	21 (10.6)	154 (77.8)	23 (11.6)
	higher	4 (4.4)	63 (69.2)	24 (26.4)
Offspring	no children	4 (15.4)	18 (69.2)	4 (15.4)	0.105
quantity	one	2 (3.1)	47 (72.3)	16 (24.3)
	two	10 (7.1)	114 (81.4)	16 (11.4)
	three	9 (15.8)	39 (68.4)	9 (15.8)
	four and more	3 (11.1)	19 (70.4)	5 (18.5)
Marital status	single	2 (10.5)	13 (68.4)	4 (21.1)	0.291
	married	15 (6.8)	172 (78.5)	32 (14.6)
	divorced	2 (11.1)	10 (55.6)	6 (33.3)
	widowed	9 (15.3)	42 (71.2)	8 (13.6)
Self-perceptions	negative	13 (76.5)	4 (23.5)	0 (0)	<0.001*
of aging	neutral	13 (18.3)	58 (81.7)	0 (0)
	positive	2 (0.9)	175 (77.1)	50 (22)
Depression	without depression	1 (0.5)	169 (77.9)	47 (21.7)	<0.001
	with depression	27 (27.6)	68 (69.4)	3 (3.1)

Notes: *The results of detailed comparisons: Education level: primary vs secondary p = 0.990, primary vs higher p = 0.003, secondary vs higher p = 0.003. Self-perceptions of aging: negative vs neutral p <0.001, negative vs positive p <0.001, neutral vs positive p<0.001

Abbreviation: SOC, sense of coherence.