The sense of coherence in patients with Menière's disease

To investigate how the ability to adapt, measured by the sense of coherence (SOC), is related to specific complaints of Menière's disease (MD) and the disease specific and general health related quality of life (EQ-5D) and on disease specific impact of the disease (MD-impact).

Postal survey, including a structured questionnaire on EQ-5D, SOC, symptoms, positive experiences, and the impact of MD, was sent to the members of the Finnish Menière Federation, reporting a diagnosis compatible with the condition. A sample of 547 members replied and were analyzed.

The SOC reflected the disabilities caused by symptoms of MD and psychosocial factors including verbal score scale (VSS) anxiety (p<0.01) and loss of vitality (p<0.001). Higher SOC scores were related to better scores in EQ-5D and lower scores in MD-impact. Positive attitudes consequential to MD were associated with higher SOC scores reflecting better control over the consequences of disease.

SOC is an element of patient's attitude toward illness and correlates with perceived good health. Patients with higher SOC scores are more content with their quality of life. Future research should focus on whether influencing modifiable psychological factors, such as positive attitudes, could improve adaptive ability in MD.