The impact of psychological hardiness on intolerance of uncertainty in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to measure the impact of psychological hardiness on the intolerance of uncertainty (IOU) among university students during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. A cross‐sectional correlational research design was used in the study, where participants were selected by convenience sampling. The data was collected from 1217 undergraduate students from a university in Turkey through web‐based questionnaires. The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale assessed data, including intolerance of uncertainty. In addition, the Personal Views Survey III‐R was used to measure students' psychological hardiness. The results indicated that Turkish undergraduate students overall had high IOU and above‐average psychological hardiness. Psychological hardiness was negatively correlated with IOU. Students losing a loved one because of COVID‐19 had increased intolerance to uncertainty and lower psychological hardiness. Psychological hardiness was a powerful predictor of IOU. These findings show the need to implement hardiness‐training programs for undergraduate students to increase their tolerance to uncertainty and reduce the effect of grief.