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Psychology and Law
2026. Vol. 16, no. 1, 65–82
doi:10.17759/psylaw.2026160105
ISSN: 2222-5196 (online)

The role of nostalgia in maintaining subjective well-being of men and women in a situation of involuntary isolation

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. Increasing psychological resources to maintain resilience in crisis and stressful situations helps reduce the negative effects of social isolation in institution of confinement, including aggression and self-aggression. One of such resources may be nostalgia as a feeling of sentimental longing for the past. A number of studies have shown its positive effects. Previous studies have shown that it is positively associated with well-being and negatively associated with anxiety in women in a situation of involuntary isolation. Objective. The aim of this study is to test whether there will be differences in this effect between men and women in a situation of involuntary isolation. Hypothesis. The tendency to nostalgia is gender specific and correlated with emotional state (well-being, crisis symptoms, anxiety) and personality traits. Methods and materials. The study involved 176 people aged 18-67 years in a situation of involuntary isolation in an institution of confinement (M = 36.9, SD = 9.8, 57% female). Methods: nostalgia questionnaire, WHO5 well-being questionnaire, an anxiety questionnaire, method for diagnosing subjective well-being of a person, a method for diagnosing crisis symptoms, Big Five BFI-2-S, dark triad, test of life-meaning orientations. Results. Women are more prone to nostalgia than men. Nostalgia correlates with the emotional state of women (well-being, anxiety, crisis symptoms) and does not correlate with anxiety and crisis symptoms of men in a situation of involuntary isolation. Conclusions. Studying the participants' nostalgic experiences in relation to their emotional state and personality traits will provide useful insights for psychotherapeutic interventions relevant to reducing destructive behaviour in institution of confinement.

General Information

Keywords: nostalgia, social isolation, suspect, defendant, convicted, psychological well-being, anxiety, crisis

Journal rubric: Methodological Problems of Legal Psychology

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2026160105

Funding. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project number 23-18-00142, https://rscf.ru/project/23-18-00142/

Acknowledgements. The authors are grateful the study participants, as well as the detention officer of the places of detention for assistance in data collection.

Received 30.07.2025

Revised 17.09.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Vartanyan, G.A., Soldatova, E.L., Bartseva, K.V. (2026). The role of nostalgia in maintaining subjective well-being of men and women in a situation of involuntary isolation. Psychology and Law, 16(1), 65–82. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2026160105

© Vartanyan G.A., Soldatova E.L., Bartseva K.V., 2026

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Gayane A. Vartanyan, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Senior Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6266-4713, e-mail: g.vartanyan@spbu.ru

Elena L. Soldatova, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Professor of the Department of Labor Psychology and Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3902-0557, e-mail: elena_soldatova@rambler.ru

Ksenia V. Bartseva, Junior Researcher, Teaching Assistant of the Department of Labor Psychology and Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4854-726X, e-mail: bartseva.ksenia@gmail.com

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