Citation

Pahkin K, Väänänen A, Koskinen A, Bergbom B, Kouvonen A. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2011; 53(2): 118-123.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/JOM.0b013e318206f0cb

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of sense of coherence (SOC) on psychiatric events in the context of organizational merger.

METHODS: Data were derived from a prospective "Still Working" study using questionnaire and health register data. The study population (n = 4279) consisted of employees with no psychiatric events prior to the 5-year mental health follow-up.

RESULTS: Employees with a weaker premerger SOC were at a higher risk of perceiving the organizational change negatively (odds ratio = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.57 to 2.14) and had an elevated risk of postmerger psychiatric events (hazard ratio = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.94). A stronger SOC decreased the adverse effect of negative appraisal of change on psychiatric events.

CONCLUSIONS: A strong premerger SOC seems to be a protective factor for mental health when the employee experiences negative changes during an organizational merger. © 2011 The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; mental health; suicide; female; male; risk assessment; article; major clinical study; mental disease; self concept; health survey; organization and management; follow up; employee; sense of coherence