EN
The aim of the study was to check whether sense of coherence (SOC) can be altered in psychotherapy, and if so, whether the changes are stable and related to the baseline SOC level. Participants were 101 alcohol dependent patients (ALC) entering a 6-week alcohol treatment program at the Dependence Treatment Center, IPiN in Warsaw, and 54 neurotic patients (NEU) hospitalized for 10 weeks at the Psychiatric Clinic, Medical Academy in Lublin. They were examined thrice using Antonovsky's Orientation to Life (SOC-29) questionnaire: pre- and post-treatment, and by mail at a 6-month (NEU) or 12-month (ALC) follow-up. GLM with Repeated Measures with baseline weak (wSOC) or strong SOC (sSOC) as between-subject factor, and MDC analysis were used. A highly significant and stable enhancement of SOC was found after treatment in wSOC patients in both groups, ALC (in 58% of patients) and NEU (in 23%). In sSOC patients there was a ceiling effect (a mild, but significant and stable SOC increase) in the ALC group, while in NEU group the SOC level decreased (only 7% of patients indicated a stable real increase).