Abstract

Background. The COVID-19 virus has created a global situation of unpredictability, uncertainty and crisis. Each person lived through the period of self-isolation in different ways. Hardiness, as well as belonging to a particular country plays an important role as a personal resource in this adaptation.

The objective of the study was a comparative analysis of the severity of hardiness in young people in a situation of self-isolation during the spread of coronavirus in Russia and Israel. We assumed as a hypothesis that the level of hardiness in Russia and Israel would be comparable, due to the approximately equal number of factors (in all their variety) of instability, especially in a situation of an additional distress factor – the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design. The research was carried out through Internet resources. The sample consisted of 40 people: 20 from Russia (8 men and 12 women) and 20 from Israel (10 men and 10 women). The age of the subjects ranged from 25 to 40 years (the average age of Russians is 29.1, the average age of Israelis is 31.8). Psycho-diagnostics of hardiness was carried out using S.Maddi’s Hardiness Test (translation and adaptation by D.A. Leontiev, E.I. Rasskazova).

Results. It was revealed that the general level of hardiness and its three separate components (“involvement”, “control”, “risk taking”) is slightly higher among young people in Israel than among citizens of Russia. Statistically significant differences (Uemp = 64 (Ucr = 114 at p ≤ 0.01; 138 at p ≤ 0.05) were found only in terms of “risk taking”.

Conclusions. The hypothesis that there are significant differences in the level of hardiness among young people living in Russia and Israel during the period of selfisolation was partially confirmed. The components of “involvement”, “control” and the general level of hardiness are just slightly higher in residents of Israel than those of Russia, but the component of “risk taking” is significantly higher in residents of Israel.