Background: The coronavirus outbreak was labeled a global pandemic by the WHO in March 2020. Simultaneously, an earthquake of 5.5 hit Croatia's capital Zagreb. The present study investigated the association between the sense of coherence, subjective well-being, and emotional distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) that people went through while facing an acute stress situation of COVID-19 outbreak and the earthquakes.
Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study included 1152 subjects. Orientation to Life Questionnaires (OLQ-13), Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and DASS-21 scale were used in an anonymous online survey which was conducted on 22 March 2020 (the twelfth day of the COVID-19 outbreak in Croatia and the day of the earthquakes in the Capital). The results of the questionnaires were determined by the correlation analysis. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to evaluate the association between the subjective well-being and the sense of coherence on the emotional distress.
Results: The sense of coherence correlated positively with subjective well-being (p<0.01) and negatively with all distress domains (p<0.01) as well as subjective well-being (p<0.01). Mild emotional distress was detected. Subjects who experienced the earthquakes showed a significantly higher degree of anxiety (p=0.005) and stress (p=0.003), with significantly decreased the two personal well-being domains: standard of living (p=0.023) and personal safety (p=0.026). Sense of coherence made a major contribution in explaining emotional distress (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The results support the importance of improving coping efficiency of the sense of coherence with respect to obtaining an appropriate level of well-being and reducing emotional distress in acute stressful situations.