Uncertainty coping patterns as predictors of psychological well-being in applicants in 2020

Relevance. In 2020 along with regular stress related to final examinations, school graduates faced additional difficulties due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions. Specifically, this stress could manifest itself in increased anxiety, depressive symptoms, and other signs of the low level of psychological well-being.

The study aimed to compare anxiety and depression levels in school graduates and 9–10 graders and to analyze the role uncertainty coping patterns play in their psychological well-being.

Method. The following questionnaires were used: The Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire in Russian adaptation by Kornilova; The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) adapted by Adryushchenko, Drobizhev, Dobrovolskiy, and our original survey “Applicants` main fears”. The study sample included 170 participants aged 16–18 from different Russian cities and towns. Among them, 96 were school graduates planning to apply for university, and 74 were students of 9 and 10 grades. The research was conducted online with the use of Google-forms. Participation was completely voluntary and anonymous.

Results: The study showed that anxiety and depression symptoms were impacted by the preference towards uncertainty coping patterns. Vigilance as a coping pattern led to lower levels of anxiety and depression in both groups. There were no significant differences in anxiety and depression between graduates and 9–10 graders.

Conclusions: Preferred uncertainty coping patterns can impact the psychological well-being of graduate and undergraduate school students.

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