RUDN Journal of Psychology and PedagogicsRUDN Journal of Psychology and PedagogicsВестник Российского университета дружбы народов. Серия: Психология и педагогика2313-16832313-1705Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)4947510.22363/2313-1683-2025-22-3-481-502VOLTHUCURRENT TRENDS IN PERSONALITY RESEARCHСОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ТЕНДЕНЦИИ РАЗВИТИЯ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ ЛИЧНОСТИResearch ArticleProbing the Personal and Social Worries of Belarusians: A Mixed Methods StudyЗондирование личностных и социальных страхов белорусов: качественно-количественное исследованиеhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3369-58448616-0835BalinskiYauheni V.БалинскийЕвгений Владимирович

2nd year Master’s Student, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences

студент II курса магистратуры факультета социальных наук

yauhenibalinski@gmail.comhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3387-8242559824178007011-5082LepshokovaZarina Kh.ЛепшоковаЗарина Хизировна

Ph.D. in Psychology, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chief Researcher of the Centre for Sociocultural Research

кандидат психологических наук, доцент департамента психологии факультета социальных наук, главный научный сотрудник Центра социокультурных исследований

taimiris@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0009-0002-1135-160X3477-5085BalinskayaKseniya S.БалинскаяКсения Сергеевна

MA in Economics, Researcher

магистр экономики, исследователь

djuliya17lambert@gmail.comHSE UniversityНациональный исследовательский университет «Высшая школа экономики»Belarusian State Economic UniversityБелорусский государственный экономический университет0304202622348150203042026Copyright ©; 2026, Balinski Y.V., Lepshokova Z.K., Balinskaya K.S.Copyright ©; 2026, Балинский Е.В., Лепшокова З.Х., Балинская К.С.2026Balinski Y.V., Lepshokova Z.K., Balinskaya K.S.Балинский Е.В., Лепшокова З.Х., Балинская К.С.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0https://journals.rudn.ru/psychology-pedagogics/article/view/49475

The purpose of this study is to identify the worries of Belarusian citizens in the context of economic, political, cultural, and global changes. Based on data obtained from semistructured interviews in December 2024 ( N = 43, including 29 women and 14 men, aged 18 to 66 years, all were citizens of Belarus), current worries were identified, including concerns about the health of loved ones, economic instability, uncertainty about the future and the fate of children, as well as national and global threats such as migration, loss of traditions, environmental disasters, and the development of artificial intelligence. Content analysis of the participants’ responses allowed them to be structured for the next stage of quantitative analysis, limiting subjectivity in the interpretation of the wording and comparing the results across the entire sample. The results have revealed marked gender differences: women are more likely to express anxiety about socio-economic and existential issues, while men are more likely to express anxiety about cultural identity and uncertainty. Of particular importance are the cultural and linguistic situation and the identities of Belarusians at different levels, which influence the perception of threats. The authors emphasize the importance of further studying the interrelationships between worries, values and psychological health in order to understand social attitudes in the country. The article fills an existing gap in research on the worries of Belarusians and offers a systematic approach to their analysis.

Цель исследования - выявить личностные и социальные страхи белорусских граждан в контексте экономических, политических, культурных и глобальных изменений. На основе данных полуструктурированных интервью, проведенных в декабре 2024 г. ( N = 43, 29 женщин и 14 мужчин, в возрасте от 18 до 66 лет, граждане Беларуси), выявлены актуальные страхи, включая беспокойство за здоровье близких, экономическую нестабильность, неопределенность будущего и судьбу детей, а также национальные и глобальные угрозы, такие как миграция, утрата традиций, экологические катастрофы и развитие искусственного интеллекта. Контент-анализ ответов респондентов позволил структурировать их для следующего этапа количественного анализа - бинарного кодирования, которое ограничило субъективность в интерпретации формулировок. Сравнение результатов по выборке показало выраженные гендерные различия: женщины чаще выражают тревогу по социально-экономическим и экзистенциальным вопросам, а мужчины - по вопросам культурной идентичности и неопределенности. Особое значение имеют культурная и языковая ситуации, а также особенности идентичности белорусов, которые связаны с восприятием угроз. Авторы подчеркивают важность дальнейшего изучения взаимосвязей между страхами, ценностями и психологическим здоровьем населения для понимания социальных настроений в стране. Исследование заполняет существующий пробел в изучении личностных и социальных страхов белорусов и предлагает системный подход для их анализа.

personal and social worriesBelarusanxietiesthreatsidentitiesglobal risksvaluespsychological healthличностные и социальные страхиБеларусьтревогиугрозыидентичностиглобальные рискиценностипсихологическое здоровьеДанная статья является результатом исследовательского проекта, реализованного в рамках Программы фундаментальных исследований Национального исследовательского университета «Высшая школа экономики» (ВШЭThis article is an output of a research project implemented as part of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University)Barinov, D. (2019). Fear as a social phenomenon. Gumanitarnyy Nauchnyy Vestnik, (2), 39–48. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3236740Bauman, Z. (2006). Liquid fear. Polity Press.Beck, U. (1992). From industrial society to the risk society. Theory, Culture and Society, 9(1), 97–123. https://doi.org/10.1177/026327692009001006Beck, U. (2008). World at risk. Polity Press.Bekus, N. (2010). Struggle over identity: The official and the alternative “Belarusianness”. Budapest: Central European University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9786155211843Bekus, N. (2014). “Hybrid” linguistic identity of Post-Soviet Belarus. Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe, 13(4), 26–51.Bekus, N. (2023). Reassembling society in a nation-state: History, language, and identity discourses of Belarus. Nationalities Papers, 51(1), 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1017/nps.2022.60Boehnke, K., & Schwartz, S.H. (1997). Fear of war: Relations to values, gender, and mental health in Germany and Israel. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 3(2), 149–165. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327949pac0302_3Boehnke, K., Schwartz, S., Stromberg, C., & Sagiv, L. (1998). The structure and dynamics of worry: Theory, measurement, and cross-national replications. Journal of Personality, 66(5), 745–782. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00031Brand, U. (2009). Die multiple Krise. Dynamik und Zusammenhang der Krisendimensionen, Anforderungen an politische Institutionen und Chancen progressiver Politik. Heinrich Böll Stiftung.Brenig, M., & Proeger, T. (2018). Putting a price tag on security: Subjective well-being and willingness-topay for crime reduction in Europe. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(1), 145–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-016-9814-1Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Ecological systems theory (1992). In U. Bronfenbrenner (Ed.), Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development (pp. 106–173). Sage Publications Inc.Bude, H. (2014). Gesellschaft der Angst. Hamburger Edition.Bug, M., Kroh, M., & Meier, K. (2015). Regionale kriminalitätsbelastung und kriminalitätsfurcht: Befunde der WISIND-Studie. DIW Wochenbericht, 23(12), 259–269.Burger, M., Hendriks, M., & Ianchovichina, E. (2023). Economic crises, Subjective Well-Being, and vote switching: The case of Brazil’s 2018 Presidential Election. Journal of Happiness Studies, 24, 2831–2853. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00706-7Chodorow, N. (1989). Feminism and Psychoanalytic Theory. New Haven: Yale University* Press. * On July 8, 2025, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russian Federation declared the activities of Yale University (USA) undesirable in Russia.Ekman, P. (2007). Emotions revealed: Recognizing faces and feelings to improve communication and emotional life (2nd ed.). New York: Henry Holt and Co.Ermolaev, V. V., Vorontsova, Yu., Nasonova, D. K., & Chetverikova, A. I. (2021). Dynamics of Russian citizens’ social fears during the first and second waves of COVID-19. National Psychological Journal, (1), 27-38. https://doi.org/10.11621/npj.2021.0103 (In Russ.).Furedi, F. (1997). Culture of fear: Risk-taking and the morality of low expectation. London: Cassell.Frey, C.B., & Osborne, M.A. (2017). The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation? Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 114, 254–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.08.019Galich, L. P. (2017). Fears and anxieties of Belarusians and Russians in sociological dimension. BSPU Bulletin. Series 2, (3), 64–70. (In Russ.).Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Stanford University Press.Giddens, E. (1984). The constitution of society: Outline of the theory of structuration. Polity Press.Hajek, A., Kretzler, B., & König, H. H. (2023). Fear of war in Germany: An observational study. Heliyon, 9(11), e21784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21784Hamilton, S. B., van Mouwerik, S., Oetting, E. R., Beauvais, F., & Keilin, W. G. (1988). Nuclear war as a source of adolescent worry: relationships with age, gender, trait emotionality, and drug use. The Journal of Social Psychology, 128(6), 745–763. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1988.9924554Hinks, T. (2024). Artificial intelligence perceptions and life satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 25, 5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00727-wJetten, J., Mols, F., & Steffens, N. K. (2021). Prosperous but fearful of falling: The Wealth Paradox, collective angst, and opposition to Immigration. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 47(5), 766–780. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220944112Lawrence, M., Homer-Dixon, T., Janzwood, S., Rockstöm, J., Renn, O., & Donges, J. F. (2024). Global polycrisis: The causal mechanisms of crisis entanglement. Global Sustainability, 7, e6. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2024.1Li, J., & Huang, J. (2020). Dimensions of artificial intelligence anxiety based on the integrated fear acquisition theory. Technology in Society, 63, 101410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101410Manning, M., Fleming, C. M., Pham, H. T., & Wong, G. T. W. (2022). What matters more, perceived or real crime? Social Indicators Research, 163(3), 1221–1248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-022-02924-7Mutz, M. (2024). Society-related fears and personal mental health. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 19, 2895–2913. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-024-10367-0Nestik T.A., & Zadorin, I.V. (2020) Russians’ attitudes towards global risks: Socio-demographic and psychological factors affecting people’s perception of threats. Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes, (5), 4–28. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2020.5.1700Poikolainen, K., Aalto-Setälä, T., Tuulio-Henriksson, A., Marttunen, M., & Lönnqvist, J. (2004). Fear of nuclear war increases the risk of common mental disorders among young adults: A five-year follow-up study. BMC Public Health, 4, 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-4-42Powdthavee, N. (2005). Unhappiness and crime: Evidence from South Africa. Economica, 72(287), 531–547. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0013-0427.2005.00429.xSchwartz, S. H., Sagiv, L., & Boehnke, K. (2000). Worries and values. Journal of Personality, 68(2), 309–346. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00099Sehrawat, V. (2017). Autonomous weapon system: Law of armed conflict (LOAC) and other legal challenges. Computer Law & Security Review, 33 (1), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2016.11.001Zhao, Y., Yin, D., Wang, L., & Yu, Y. (2024). The rise of artificial intelligence, the fall of human wellbeing? International Journal of Social Welfare, 33(1), 75–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12586