Hope as a Resource for Psychological Well-Being: A Comparative Study of Hope Representations among Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Atheists

The article presents the results of an empirical study examining the relationships between hope, religious identity, and psychological well-being among representatives of different worldview groups: Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and atheists. The sample consisted of 287 participants between the ages 18 to 65 years (181 women and 106 men). Hope was measured using Snyder’s Hope Scale adapted by K. Muzdybaev, psychological well-being was assessed with Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale adapted by T.D. Shevelenkova and T.P. Fesenko, and religious identity was evaluated using the Identity Fusion Index.

The findings revealed significant differences between the groups in levels of dispositional hope and components of psychological well-being. The highest levels of hope were observed among Orthodox participants, whereas Muslims demonstrated the highest overall psychological well-being. Among atheists, autonomy was the most pronounced component.

Correlation analysis within the Muslim group revealed a specific pattern: hope showed significant negative associations with most components of psychological well-being and positive associations with affect balance, whereas religious identity fusion was positively related to psychological well-being. These results are interpreted in the context of cultural and religious differences in conceptions of agency, subjective control, and existential sources of well-being. The findings highlight the importance of considering cultural and religious contexts in psychological research and question the universality of agentic models of hope.

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