University students' perceptions of virtuous persons in Türkiye: associations with psychological wellbeing, resilience, intolerance of uncertainty, and hopelessness
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction Perceptions of virtuous persons represent an important yet understudied dimension of moral cognition that may be associated with individuals' psychological functioning as well as their developmental and contextual experiences. This study examined university students' perceptions of virtuous persons in relation to demographic characteristics, psychological wellbeing, psychological resilience, intolerance of uncertainty, and hopelessness. Methods This cross-sectional correlational study included 1,322 undergraduate students aged 18–32 years enrolled at five universities in Türkiye. Exploratory demographic differences were examined using an independent-samples t -test and one-way analyses of variance, while the unique contributions of the psychological variables were assessed using multiple linear regression. Results The regression model was statistically significant and explained 35.9% of the variance in perceptions of virtuous persons. Psychological wellbeing was the strongest positive predictor (β = 0.580, p < 0.001). Intolerance of uncertainty also showed a smaller positive association (β = 0.138, p < 0.001), contrary to the hypothesized negative direction. Psychological resilience and hopelessness did not make significant unique contributions. Exploratory analyses also identified differences according to gender, income level, year of study, and academic achievement, although the effects were modest. Discussion The findings indicate that psychological characteristics are not uniformly associated with perceptions of virtuous persons and that psychological wellbeing accounts for most of the model's explanatory contribution. The unexpected positive association between intolerance of uncertainty and perceptions of virtuous persons warrants cautious interpretation. Longitudinal and cross-cultural research is needed to clarify the direction and underlying mechanisms of these associations.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
Institutions: Ondokuz Mayıs University, Sakarya University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7222547169