Assessment of the COVID-19 Pandemic by Russians with Various Levels of Hardiness

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to examine the impact of psychological characteristics on human adaptation under uncertainty. Hardiness, which is still controversial for its role in maintaining human mental, physical, and social health, is such a psychological characteristic. Methods. To test the hypothesis that individuals with different levels of hardiness have different attitudes towards the current COVID-19 pandemic, the present study used the Hardiness Survey by S. Maddi (modified by E. N. Osin and E. I. Rasskazova) and a special questionnaire to assess various aspects of the pandemic situation, including its characteristics and impact on various spheres of life, fears, and possibilities for coping (using a 11-point Likert scale). The study was conducted during self-isolation using the Google Form (N = 421; age 18–78 years, mean age = 40.3 ± 12.6 years; 81 % females). Results. Most Russians perceived the pandemic situation as a challenge to their capabilities. The high-risk group comprised 17 % of respondents, which indicates the need for targeted psychological assistance aimed at psychological education. High hardy Russians recognize the uncertainty and complexity of the pandemic situation, and consider it controllable. For the low hardiness group, this situation is highly uncertain, complex, unpredictable, and uncontrollable, affecting physical activity and the quality of social contacts. Besides fears for their loved ones, fear of the future is pronounced among respondents of this group. Discussion. The findings from this study are in agreement with the idea of hardiness as the ability to withstand stressful situations, while maintaining internal balance without reducing performance in activities, which indicates the predictive value of this construct.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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