Religious and Secular Moral Values Shape the Link Between Wellbeing and Future Anxiety

Moral Frameworks and Anxiety Moderation

Moral reference systems, whether religious or secular, likely influence how mental health correlates with future anxiety. Existing literature confirms an inverse relationship between wellbeing and fear of the future. However, it remains unclear if this effect holds for everyone or depends on personal normative frameworks. This study examined religious moral orientation (RMO) and secular moral orientation (SMO) as potential moderators. The sample included four hundred Turkish university students recruited via convenience sampling. Participants completed self-report measures for mental wellbeing, future anxiety, and both moral orientations. Statistical analyses used three hundred ninety-one complete cases for future anxiety. RMO and SMO scales were treated as distinct subscales rather than aggregated into a single score. Primary analyses relied on separate moderated regressions. Sensitivity checks included bootstrap estimates, robust HC3 models, mixed models, and covariate adjustments. Results supported the main hypothesis: higher mental wellbeing correlated with lower future anxiety.

The interaction between wellbeing and RMO was negative in normal theory estimation, with a p-value of 0.003. Yet, the 95% percentile bootstrap confidence interval included zero. The separate HC3 model result was slightly above the conventional significance threshold, with p equal to 0.0503. For the interaction between wellbeing and SMO, the p-value was 0.078, which was not significant in the primary model. Contrasts in the common model showed no statistical difference between interaction coefficients. Non-standardized contrasts yielded p equal to 0.877, while fully standardized contrasts yielded p equal to 0.553. These results suggest the two orientations do not have distinct effects. The main conclusion indicates that moral orientation may influence the wellbeing-anxiety link. However, evidence that RMO acts as a moderator depends heavily on the estimation method. Data did not establish distinct moderation effects for RMO versus SMO. Findings are considered preliminary due to the cross-sectional design.

Defining Future Anxiety in Modern Contexts

The sample came from a single university, and interaction effect sizes were small.

Future anxiety is defined as a complex emotional state marked by fear, worry, and uncertainty. It concerns potentially negative long-term life developments, according to Zaleski in 1996. In an era of interconnected global and local crises, uncertainty defines contemporary existence. This amplifies fears about the future, as noted in 2022 United Nations Development Programme reports. Persistent future anxiety can distort an individual’s perception of their own agency. It also impairs the ability to pursue future-oriented goals. Previous studies consistently link high future anxiety with poor psychological adjustment. This includes elevated levels of depression, stress, and psychological suffering, especially during prolonged uncertainty. This pattern highlights the need to identify psychological resources that buffer against future fear. It explains why some individuals adapt more effectively than others amid widespread uncertainty, a topic addressed by Zimmermann and colleagues in 2020.

Measuring Wellbeing and Moral Variability

Mental wellbeing is a broad indicator of positive mental health functioning. It encompasses both hedonic experiences and eudaimonic functioning, as established by Tennant et al. in 2007 and van Agteren et al. in 2021. The current study operationalizes this construct using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). This scale integrates positively worded indicators of feelings and functioning into a single total score. While Ryff’s framework provides relevant theoretical background for eudaimonic functioning, the WEMWBS does not separately evaluate Ryff’s six dimensions. Therefore, the measured construct is uniformly termed mental wellbeingthroughout this article. No specific claims are made about individual dimensions. Although superior mental wellbeing generally associates with adaptive functioning under stress, the intensity of its link to future anxiety may vary. Moral orientation represents a plausible source of this variation. Moral and existential reference systems shape how people interpret uncertainty and regulate behavior, per research cited by Yapici in 2007.

However, literature does not support the simplistic hypothesis that religious views are inherently healthier than non-religious ones. A curvilinear model has been reported, where firm religious and firm non-religious individuals show better wellbeing than those with less certain positions. Research focused on non-religious populations emphasizes the importance of secular meaning systems, identity clarity, social context, and community. Rather than mere lack of belief being the determining factor for adjustment, as shown by Speed and Hwang in 2019 or Uzarevic and Coleman in 2021. Among Polish non-believers, studies revealed comparable general wellbeing levels.