Sense of Coherence and Related Characteristics Among Japanese War-Displaced Orphans Returned from China

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the sense of coherence (SOC) and related characteristics among Japanese war-displaced orphans returned from China.
A cross-sectional survey of 128 orphans was conducted using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire: the Chinese version of the SOC-13 (7 items) and characteristics.
Seventy-five copies of the questionnaire were returned (collection rate: 58.6%), and sixty-nine copies were analyzed (valid response rate: 92.0%). The mean age of the orphans was 76.6 (SD 2.6) years, and the mean number of years since permanent return was 29.2 (SD 6.9) years. 42.0% could communicate in Japanese, 55.0% answered that they had experienced discrimination in China, and 65.1% answered that they had experienced discrimination in Japan. 63.7% said they had subjective anxiety, and 88.4% said they were happy now. The mean SOC score of the orphans was 59.7 (SD 10.7), which was lower than that of their Japanese and Chinese peers. Significant differences in SOC scores were found in the following five areas: “whether or not they can communicate in Japanese,” “whether or not they have experienced discrimination in China,” “whether or not they have experienced discrimination in Japan,” “how often they have experienced discrimination in Japan,” and “whether or not they go for medical checkups every year.”
More than half of the orphans had difficulty communicating in Japanese and had experienced discrimination in China and/or Japan, which was reflected in their SOC scores. On the other hand, there was a significant difference between going for medical checkups and SOC scores, suggesting that good health behaviors and habits can lead to strong SOC.