PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF KAZAKHSTANI YOUTH IN THE CONTEXT OF RELIGIOUS FAITH

Abstract

The present article is devoted to the study of the characteristics of the psychological well-being of young people in the context of their religiosity. The purpose of the study is to test the hypothesis about the existence of differences in the level of psychological well-being among believers, non-believers and undecided youth.

The main idea of the study, which has scientific and practical significance, is inspired by the relevance of studying various criteria for the psychological well-being of young people in the rapidly changing conditions of our time, as evidenced by the massives of relevant foreign literature that sees religious faith as a significant factor in psychological well-being. The study used such methods as a questionnaire, adapted by T.D. Shevelenkova and P.P. Fessenko in Russian, a multivariate model for studying the psychological well-being of C. Ryff, a non-parametric criterion of one-way Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance to identify statistically significant differences, as well as a set of theoretical methods. The study sample consisted of representatives of Kazakhstani youth aged 18 up to 28 years in the amount of 733 people. The main results of the study were achieved through the analysis and interpretation of the criteria for psychological well-being identified by C. Ryff: positive relationships, autonomy, environmental management, personal growth, goals in life, self-acceptance. The authors came to the conclusion that there are differences in the level of psychological well-being among religious believers, unbelievers and undecided youth, which confirms the scientific hypothesis put forward. The value of the study lies in its novelty: in the realities of Kazakhstani youth, psychological well-being has not previously been considered in the context of religious faith. The contribution made by the authors to the domestic school of psychology in the form of a study that analyzes the existing world experience in studying psychological well-being in the context of religious faith, as well as presents experimental data and their interpretation, can certainly become a prerequisite for further research on this topic due to its enduring practical significance.

Key words: psychological well-being, C. Ryff’s methodology, questioning, Kazakhstani youth, religious faith.