Importance of One's “Sense of Coherence” in Schizophrenia

Identifying the clinical characteristics that aid prognosis in psychotic conditions helps patients, families, and providers. In designing a family psychoeducation intervention, investigators in Germany assessed 46 patients with schizophrenia for their “sense of coherence” — described as one's capacity to see the world as comprehensible, meaningful, predictable, and manageable.

Higher sense-of-coherence scores were associated with higher self-rated quality of life (QoL) scores, lower admission rates, and a trend toward lower overall psychopathology on the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale.

The investigators then conducted a pilot study, in which 25 patients chose to receive as-usual treatment enhanced with the family psychoeducation interven…