Hardiness of inhabitants of the north: regional and generational factors

Abstract

Stress factors are increasing in the modern world and the scientific community has to search for resources to ensure the effective functioning of the individual in all conditions. Numerous studies have shown that turning a traumatic situation into something positive improves physical health and well-being of the individual. They provided the foundations for the emergence of concepts which address global orientations that contribute to finding meaning and evoke positive emotions in difficult situations. Hardiness is an example of such an intrapersonal resource to cope with stress. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of regional and generational factors on the level of personality hardiness. This is a crosssectional study comparing the level of hardiness in people grouped by the region of residence and identification with a certain generation. The type of generational identity was determined through the answers to the question "Which generation values are closer to you?". The level of hardiness was assessed using the Russian version of the Hardiness Survey adapted by D.A. Leontiev. Multivariate analysis of variance was used for mathematical data processing. The study involved 128 participants (64 inhabitants of the Northwestern Federal district of Russia; 64 inhabitants of the Ural Federal district of Russia), of whom 64 were males and 64 were females, aged between 17 and 72. According to the generational identity, the respondents were divided into 4 groups of 32 each: postwar generation, Soviet generation, transitional generation, post-Soviet generation. The study showed that the level of personality hardiness depends on the region of residence. The joint influence of the regional and generational factors on the level of hardiness is significant. At the same time, in the Northwest Russia, the relationship between the studied variables is nonlinear (the lowest level of hardiness is observed in people identifying themselves as the postwar and post-Soviet generations), and in the Ural region it is linear (people identifying themselves as the postwar and Soviet generations have a higher level of hardiness than people identifying themselves as the transitional and Soviet generations). The results of the study have expanded the understanding of differences between generations and inhabitants of different regions of Russia.