Peculiarities of tolerance to uncertainty in students at different stages of education: the contribution of dispositional hope and optimism

Introduction. The rapidly changing conditions of modern society are characterized by a certain degree of unpredictability. A person's success and well-being depend on his ability to accept challenges and adapt to a transforming world. Modern research focuses on the study of various factors influencing an individual’s tolerance to uncertainty. However, not enough attention is paid to the consideration of dispositional hope and optimism as predictors of this phenomenon. The purpose of the study is to study the characteristics of dispositional hope and optimism as predictors of tolerance to uncertainty in students and to establish the direction of connections between the studied characteristics, taking into account age and gender. Materials and methods. The study involved 191 1st and 5th year students of the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Russian Federation). Methods: «Uncertainty Tolerance Scale, MSTAT-I» by D. McLane, adapted by E. G. Lukovitskaya, E. N. Osina, «Dispositional Hope Scale (ADHS)» adapted by K. Muzdybaev, «Optimism and Activity» questionnaire (Arousability and Optimism Scale, AOS) Schuller, A. Comunian adapted by N. E. Vodopyanova. Results. It was found that 1st year students show a higher level of tolerance to uncertainty (46,2±11,4) than 5th year students (42,3±11,0). 1st and 5th year boys have a higher tolerance for uncertainty than 1st and 5th year girls. Among 1st and 5th year boys, «activity» (B=1,55; p ≤ 0,001, respectively B=1,24; p≤0,01) and «optimism» (В=1,81; р≤0,03, respectively B=1,62; p≤0,001). The greatest predictors of tolerance to uncertainty among first-year girls are the «integral index of hope» (B=0,84; p≤0,01), «ability to find ways» (B=0,59; p≤0,01) and «activity» (B=2,16; p≤0,001) By the 5th year, girls’ tolerance to situations of uncertainty decreases and hope for a better future disappears. Conclusion. The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the influence of hope and optimism on the development of tolerance to uncertainty. Integration into the educational process of programs aimed at developing tolerance to uncertainty using positive thinking methods can have a positive impact on the future professional activities of future specialists.