Permanence of the sense of coherence in patients operated on for lumbar discopathy

The level of the Sense of Coherence (SOC) is an element which explains the relationship between support and health. The aim of the study was to estimate the levels of SOC and social support before the lumbar discopathy surgery and compare the same parameters after the operation. The study in­cluded 70 patients with lumbar discopathy, admitted to Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology ward, Biziel Hospital in Bydgoszcz. The SOC level was assessed using Antonovsky SOC-29 questionnaire and social support was measured using Kmiecik-Baran scale. SOC and social support change after a traumatic experience like a surgery. Global SOC was low in the first measurement and higher in the second, probably because the patients were relieved to have the pain gone as the result of the surgery. In the first measurement the largest deficit was observed in the emotional support, perhaps because the patients were not mentally prepared by medical staff. In the second measurement all components of social support were lower than in the first one. The level of emotional support was minimum. Possible reasons are long hospitalization and lack of relatives in difficult situations.