Adolescent Sense of Coherence over a Four-Year Period and the Pandemic: Junior and Senior High School Students Enrolled Before and After the Pandemic Broke out in Japan

Based on Antonovsky's theory, we explored the importance of adolescent sense of coherence (SOC) in coping with stress and how it was affected by the pandemic. Using longitudinal data from junior and senior high school students in urban areas in Japan, we examined the trends in SOC and factors related to SOC in students enrolled before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. With the cooperation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Secondary Education School, we surveyed 97 students who enrolled in 2018 (G1) and 144 students who enrolled in 2020 (G2). Four surveys were conducted for G1 and three for G2. Survey items included SOC, psychosomatic symptoms scale, Athens insomnia scale, school belonging scale, and stress experience scale. We followed the trends in SOC scores by gender and performed <i>t</i>-tests and multiple regression analysis. G2 had higher baseline SOC scores than G1, but the significant difference between the two groups disappeared by 2022. From 2019, comprehensibility and manageability significantly increased in G1 for girls, but meaningfulness decreased in G2 for both boys and girls. Multiple regression analysis showed no correlation between baseline SOC and SOC in 2022 in G1, which differed from G2, suggesting that the pandemic may have changed their perception of the world.