Sense of Coherence in the Caregivers of Chronic Patients Exemplified by the Problem of Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction. In the salutogenetic health concept the key idea is constituted by sense of coherence introduced by A. Antonovsky. Sense of coherence consists of three components: comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. Taking care of a chronic patient may be related to sense of orientation to life. Aim. The aim of the present research has been to determine the level of sense of coherence in the caregivers of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. Material and Methods. The study group has included 107 caregivers. The research has been conducted in the Department of Neurology with the Stroke Unit of the Regional Subcarpathian Hospital named after in Krosno as well as the Department of Neurology and Strokes and the Department of Neurological Rehabilitation in the Specialist Hospital named after L. Rydygier in Cracow, and the Helpful Hand Foundation in Cracow. The method of diagnostic survey using the Orientation to Life Questionnaire by Antonovsky and the authors’ self-made questionnaire have been implemented in the research. The permission to carry out the research No 176/KBL/OIL/2018 has been obtained from the Bioethics Committee. Results. The caregivers’ orientation to life has been determined as low with respect to all the components. A significant statistical variation between the place of residence and meaningfulness has been identified, which accounts for p=0.0204 (p<0.05). Village inhabitants have been recognised as having a low sense of meaningfulness. Age, gender, marital status, education and income have not been considered statistically significant regarding the caregives’ sense of coherence. Conclusions. Orientation to life is one the resources to cope with difficult and stressful situations related to the course of illness and it might be sensitive to various factors, including sociodemographic variables. Sense of coherence in the caregivers of multiple sclerosis patients has been low. (JNNN 2025;14(4):158–164)