Sense of coherence, general self-efficacy and health behaviors in women after mastectomy

Aim of the study:
The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the sense of coherence, general self-efficacy and health behaviors in women after mastectomy.

Subject or material and methods:
62 post-mastectomy female members of the “Amazonka” association in Szczecin and Piła completed The Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29), The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), The Health Behavior Inventory (IZZ), the Personal Values List (LWO) and a self-designed questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics package.

Results:
Statistically significant, positive correlations were observed between sense of coherence and health behaviors, and sense of coherence and positive mental attitude. Perceived support from family/friends was linked to health behaviors. There were significant positive correlations between general self-efficacy, health behaviors and positive mental attitude. No links were found between the value attributed to health and manifested health behaviors in women after mastectomy.

Discussion:
Our research suggests that stronger sense of coherence correlates with higher scores in terms of health behaviors and positive mental attitude. To a certain extent, this remains in line with Antonovsky's assumption that the sense of coherence affects the ways individuals use their resources, motivates to take action and helps maintain a positive attitude.

Conclusions:
The sense of coherence and general self-efficacy were significantly related to health behaviors in women after mastectomy.