Who believes in a just world? A multilevel latent profile analysis of Justice Capital using the European Social Survey.

OBJECTIVE: Justice Capital provides a theoretical framework for explaining individual differences in the belief in a just world (BJW). However, this framework has yet to receive empirical validation. METHOD: Using Round 9 of the European Social Survey, a large (n = 43,209) multi-country (N = 29) sample, I conduct multilevel latent profile analysis and multilevel multinomial logistic regression to determine the latent profiles that emerge at a population level and map the demographic and experiential covariates of these profiles. RESULTS: Incorporating measures of general BJW, distributive and procedural justice, and the belief in equality of opportunity, I find three latent profiles: meritocrats, moderates, and egalitarians. Compared with egalitarians, meritocrats (strong just world believers) are more likely to be male; younger; have a higher income; have attained more years of education; to be politically conservative; and have no recent experience of discrimination or crime. Meritocrats were overrepresented in countries with a higher Human Development Index. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of Justice Capital for understanding individual variation in general BJW and related justice beliefs; discussion centers on anomalous findings and extension of this theoretical framework.

Belief in a just world and fair behavior among clinical nurses: a moderated mediation model of empathy and observer justice sensitivity.

BACKGROUND: Exploration of the relationship between nursing staffs' justice in belief world and fair behavior is important to promote equity and access to health services in health organizations, as well as to enhance the quality of care. In order to further dissect the influencing factors of fair behavior among clinical nurses, the current study aims to investigate how belief in a just world influences the fair behavior among nurses. Based on the belief in a just world theory, the empathy-altruism theory and the protective-protective model, the current study aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the effect of belief in a just world on fair behavior by investigating the mediating role of empathy and the moderating role of observer justice sensitivity. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study. 571 registered clinical nurses were included from five hospitals in Fuzhou through a convenience sampling method. Measurements included Chinese translations of belief in a just world scale, empathy scale, observer justice sensitivity scale, fair behavior scale. SPSS 22.0 was used to describe descriptive statistics and the variables' Pearson correlation coefficient. SPSS PROCESS macro Model 4 and model 14 were used to examine the mediation and the moderation between the relationship of belief in a just world and fairness behavior. RESULT: The results shower that fairness behavior was positively correlated with one's belief in a just world (r = 0.26, p < 0.01); (2)empathy mediated the relationship between belief in a just world and fair behavior. The mediation model explains 20.83%; (3) Observer justice sensitivity moderated the relationship between empathy and fair behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Belief in a just world, empathy, and observer justice sensitivity were motivations for nurses' fair behavior. Nursing administrators should focus on cultivating nurses' belief in a just world, their empathy abilities, and positive qualities of justice sensitivity to enhance fair behavior in a healthcare setting.

Belief in a just world and organisational loyalty: Trust as an underlying mechanism.

This research examined whether employees' personal belief in a just world (BJW) is associated with their organisational loyalty and whether this relationship is statistically mediated by organisational trust. To test these hypotheses, we conducted two studies with employees from China (study 1, N = 314) and Germany (study 2, N = 189). The results from both studies supported the proposed model. In addition, study 2 revealed that the relationship between BJW and organisational loyalty persisted when controlling for global personality traits. These suggest that managers and organisations may increase employees' loyalty by providing an environment that fosters their sense of justice and trust.

Development of beliefs in a just world among Chinese early adolescents and the predictive role of family factors: A three-wave longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored how belief in a just world (BJW) develops among Chinese adolescents and the predictive role of family factors. BACKGROUND: The development of BJW in adolescence is an important but understudied topic, especially in non-Western contexts. METHOD: Using a three-wave longitudinal design, 1525 participants (48% girls; Mage = 12.47) were recruited to report their BJW, childhood SES, only-child or not, and parental psychological control in Wave 1 (Wave 2: N = 1262; Wave 3: N = 1124). RESULTS: The mean slope for personal BJW is positive and significant, but not significant for general BJW. Childhood SES predicted initial level of personal and general BJW and the rate of growth of personal BJW. Only-child predicted initial level and the growth rate of personal BJW. Parental psychological control negatively predicted personal and general BJW at three time points. CONCLUSION: Personal BJW increased during the observation period, whereas general BJW was stable. Individuals with lower levels of childhood SES had lower initial personal and general BJW but a higher growth rate in personal BJW than those with higher SES. Individuals having siblings had lower levels of initial personal BJW but a higher growth rate in personal BJW than those from only-child family. Parental psychological control may exert consistent and contemporaneous negative effect on BJW across time.

Positive psychology and attitudes to ageing in people aged 50 and over in the United Kingdom.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether attitudes to ageing were associated with attitudes to positive psychology constructs.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 572 UK adults aged 50+ (mean age 64.6 years, SD = 8.4, 73.8% female) assessed attitudes to ageing using the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) in relation to measures of positive psychology including (1) belief in a just world-Just World Scale (JWS-Self and JWS-Other), (2) sense of coherence-Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC) and (3) positive well-being-Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Pleasure Scale (CASP-19). Other factors included difficulties with hearing and eyesight, relative and carer status and demographics.Results: People with hearing and eyesight difficulties had lower CASP-19 and SOC scores, and more negative attitudes to ageing compared to people without sensory problems. Hierarchical regression analyses showed all three positive psychology scales predicted more positive attitudes to ageing. Being a carer for a person with dementia was associated with more negative attitudes to ageing.Conclusion: Whereas health and sensory problems relate to more negative attitudes to ageing, this study highlights the importance of positive psychological factors which could inform approaches seeking to promote well-being and health in older people.

Bullying victimization and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents: the roles of belief in a just world and classroom-level victimization.

Studies have demonstrated that bullying victimization is a risk factor for depressive symptoms; however, little is known about the underlying processes that may mediate or moderate this relationship. To address this research gap, this study examined the mediating effects of personal and general belief in a just world (BJW) and the moderating effect of classroom-level victimization on the relationship between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. Using a short-term longitudinal design, two-wave data were obtained from 2,551 Chinese adolescents (initial age = 12.99 ± 0.61, 52.2% boys) from 47 classes over 6 months. The results indicated that Time 1 personal BJW mediated the relationship between Time 1 bullying victimization and Time 2 depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the mediating effect of Time 1 personal BJW was moderated by Time 1 classroom-level victimization; this effect was stronger for adolescents in classrooms with low levels of victimization. These findings contribute to our understanding of how and when bullying victimization impacts youth depressive symptoms. Education practitioners should pay special attention to personal BJW in victimized adolescents, especially when classroom-level victimization is low.

The social gradient in adolescent mental health: mediated or moderated by belief in a just world?

PURPOSE: A social gradient in adolescent mental health exists: adolescents with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have fewer mental health problems than their peers with lower SES. Little is known about whether adolescents' societal beliefs play a role in this social gradient. Belief in a just world (BJW) may be a mediator or moderator of the social gradient in adolescent mental health. METHODS: Using data from 848 adolescents (Mage = 17) in the Netherlands, path analyses examined whether two indicators of BJW (general and personal) mediated or moderated the associations between two indicators of SES (family affluence and perceived family wealth), and four indicators of adolescent mental health problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems). RESULTS: Adolescents with lower family affluence and lower perceived family wealth reported more emotional symptoms, and the association between perceived family wealth and emotional symptoms was mediated by lower personal and general BJW. Furthermore, higher personal BJW amplified the negative association between SES and peer problems. CONCLUSION: This study suggests BJW may both mediate and amplify the social gradient in adolescent mental health. Adolescents' beliefs about society may be important to include in research aimed at understanding this social gradient.

Violent video game exposure and bullying perpetration among Chinese adolescents: The moderating role of belief in a just world.

Exposure to violent video games is associated with aggressive behaviors among adolescents. However, not all adolescents who play violent video games demonstrate bullying behaviors. Based on the General Aggression Model (GAM), this cross-sectional study examined the interactive effect of individuals (i.e., belief in a just world [BJW]) and situational factors (i.e., violent video game exposure [VVGE]) on bullying perpetration. Using a representative sample of 4250 adolescents from five secondary schools in Southwest China (54.4% males, Mage = 15.14, SD = 1.5 years old), we examined the moderating role of BJW in the relationship between VVGE and bullying perpetration. The results suggest that VVGE is significantly and positively associated with bullying perpetration. Moreover, after controlling for covariates, general and personal BJW interact with the situational variable (i.e., VVGE) to predict bullying perpetration among Chinese adolescents. The positive effect of VVGE on bullying perpetration is lower among adolescents with high general and personal BJW than among adolescents with low BJW. The findings support the GAM theory and highlight the buffering role of BJW in the effect of VVGE on bullying perpetration.

Just world beliefs and altruistic behaviors of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of empathy.

Altruistic behavior is of great significance for individual happiness and social development. The study has focused on the influence of two factors at the individual level on college students' altruistic behavior. The self-report questionnaires of 2,272 college students on belief in a just world, empathy and altruistic behavior were investigated. The results of the study found that: 1) Just-world belief and empathy both positively predicted altruistic behavior; 2) Empathy influenced altruistic behavior through just-world belief. And from the perspective of motivation theory, it explains that individuals affirm that altruistic behavior will bring spiritual pleasure, so individuals will maintain the consistency of their own internal factors to promote altruistic behavior.This study enriches the research value of altruistic behavior at the individual level and provides an empirical basis for the cultivation of altruistic behavior at the individual level.

Cyber-bullying among university students: Concurrent relations to belief in a just world and to empathy.

The aim of this study was to investigate concurrent relations of belief in a just world (BJW), justice experiences, and empathy to cyber-bullying perpetration and victimization. Our theoretical framework contained a distinction between personal and general BJW and between affective and cognitive empathy. Due to theory and recent research, we expected students' BJW, lecturer and fellow student justice, and empathy to relate negatively to cyber-bullying perpetration. Furthermore, BJW and academic justice experiences are also expected to negatively relate to cyber-bullying victimization. In order to test our hypotheses, we conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire study with N = 663 German university students (Mage = 22.6, SDage = 3.5; 68% female). Gender, internet use, and social desirability were considered as control variables. A structural equation model showed that students' personal BJW, academic justice experiences, and both empathy dimensions but not general BJW negatively related to cyber-bullying perpetration. Additionally, students' personal BJW and academic justice experiences but not general BJW or empathy were associated with cyber-bullying victimization. Male students and those with a low social desirability were more likely to report cyber-bullying perpetration and victimization. Altogether, not only university students' personal BJW and empathy but also their academic justice experiences related to cyber-bullying perpetration or victimization. Thus, researchers should develop strategies aiming to prevent or reduce cyber-bullying. Those should simultaneously foster students' personal BJW and empathy as well as an academic environment characterized by just behavior of lecturers and students. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03239-z.

Role of anterior midcingulate cortex in self-reward representation and reward allocation judgments within social context.

Evaluating rewards for the self and others is essential for social interactions. Previous research has probed the neural substrates signaling rewards in social decision-making tasks as well as the differentiation between self- and other-reward representations. However, studies with different designs have yielded mixed results. After analyzing and comparing previous designs, we differentiated three components in this study: task (reward representation vs. social judgment of reward allocation), agency (self vs. other), and social context (without vs. within). Participants were asked to imagine various share sizes as a proposer in a dictator game during fMRI, and then rated their willingness and preference for these offers in a post-scan behavioral task. To differentiate the regions involved in processing rewards without and within context, we presented the reward to each agent in two sequential frames. Parametric analyses showed that, in the second frame (i.e., within social context), the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) signaled self-reward and preferences for the offer, whereas the right insula tracked the likelihood of proposing the offer. Belief in a just world is positively associated with aMCC responses to self-reward. These results shed light on the role of the aMCC in coding self-reward within the social context to guide social behaviors.

A cross sectional survey on UK older adult's attitudes to ageing, dementia and positive psychology attributes.

BACKGROUND: With an increasingly ageing population worldwide, the predominant attitude towards ageing is still negative. Negative stereotypes have detrimental effects on individuals' physical and mental health. Evidence is required about factors that may predict and change these views. This study aimed to investigate if an older person's attitude towards dementia, their belief in a just world and sense of coherence is associated with their attitudes to ageing. METHODS: A 25-min online survey was completed by 2,675 participants aged 50 or over who were current residents of the United Kingdom (UK). Questions included demographics, overall health, dementia carer, dementia relative status and retirement status. Standardised scales used were the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ), Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS), Just World Scale (JWS) and Sense of Coherence Scale-13 (SOC). Data was analysed with descriptive, two-tailed bivariate Pearson's correlations, simple, and hierarchical regression analyses. RESULTS: Attitudes to dementia, just world beliefs, and sense of coherence were all significantly positively correlated with AAQ-Total, with SOC sub-scale "Meaningfulness" showing the strongest correlation. In a hierarchical regression model, higher scores on SOC-Meaningfulness, DAS-Total and belief in a just world for oneself all predicted more positive attitudes to ageing. CONCLUSIONS: The more positive an individual's attitude to dementia and the stronger they hold the belief that the world is just and coherent, the more likely they are to display positive attitudes to ageing. This initial evidence helps create a greater understanding of the factors that drive attitudes and stigma and may have implications for public health messaging.

A school rampage threatens beliefs in justice: A longitudinal study of the belief in a just world among Chinese adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: The current study examined whether and how severe injustice such as a school attack threatens the belief in a just world (BJW). METHOD: We collected longitudinal data on the BJW from adolescents in China who witnessed random school attacks on the news (N = 227). RESULTS: Change analyses provided evidence that the BJW increased after witnessing severe injustice. Furthermore, we tested for moderating effects of buffer variables, such as life satisfaction and perceived social support, on change in the BJW. Findings showed that these variables buffered the threat to the BJW after observing unfairness. DISCUSSION: We discuss these results in the context of justice motive theory and suggest implications for future research and practical implications.

Belief in a just world, perceived control, perceived risk, and hopelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a globally diverse sample.

The purpose of this study was to understand the complex relationships between belief in a just world (BJW), perceived control, perceived risk to self and others, and hopelessness among a globally diverse sample during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The just-world hypothesis suggests that people need to believe in a just world in which they get what they deserve and deserve what they get. Studies have shown that believing in a just world has an adaptive function for individuals. Samples from six countries completed an online questionnaire. A total of 1,250 people participated (934 female) and ages ranged from 16 to 84 years old (M = 36.3, SD = 15.5). The results showed that, when controlling for gender, age, country of residence, and being in a risk group for COVID-19 (e.g., smoker, old age, chronic disease etc.), a stronger personal and general BJW and higher perceived control over the COVID-19 pandemic predicted lower levels of hopelessness. How at-risk participants perceived themselves to be for COVID-19 positively predicted hopelessness, but how risky participants perceived the disease to be for others negatively predicted hopelessness. This study highlights how the distinction between self and others influences hopelessness and how BJW, especially personal BJW, can serve as a psychological resource during times of historic uncertainty. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03172-1.

Examining the Relationship Between Nursing Students' Belief in a Just World and Their Attitudes Towards Death.

The belief in a just world is a mindset that facilitates our ability to cope with life events by fostering a sense of control. Nursing students' beliefs in a just world and their attitudes towards death can influence how they will care for their patients. The intent of this descriptive and cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between nursing students and their beliefs in a just world and their attitudes towards death. Quantitative data was collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Questionnaire, the Belief in a Just World Scale, and the Attitude towards Death Scale. The sample included 270 participants. It was determined that as nursing students' beliefs in a just world increased, they developed positive attitudes towards death. It is recommended that discussions on the subject should be included in the education curriculum to increase nursing students' beliefs in a just world and their awareness about death.

Free to blame? Belief in free will is related to victim blaming.

The more people believe in free will, the harsher their punishment of criminal offenders. A reason for this finding is that belief in free will leads individuals to perceive others as responsible for their behavior. While research supporting this notion has mainly focused on criminal offenders, the perspective of the victims has been neglected so far. We filled this gap and hypothesized that individuals' belief in free will is positively correlated with victim blaming-the tendency to make victims responsible for their bad luck. In three studies, we found that the more individuals believe in free will, the more they blame victims. Study 3 revealed that belief in free will is correlated with victim blaming even when controlling for just world beliefs, religious worldviews, and political ideology. The results contribute to a more differentiated view of the role of free will beliefs and attributed intentions.

Belief in a just world, health-related quality of life, and mental health among Chinese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PURPOSE: Personal belief in a just world (PBJW) has been demonstrated to protect mental health. However, whether general belief in a just world (GBJW) serves adaptive functions for mental health across different groups and cultures remains unclear. This study explored the effects of PBJW and GBJW on mental health and moderating effects of PBJW and GBJW on the relation between health-related quality of life and mental health among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China. METHODS: A total of 147 patients with COPD (90.5% male; mean age = 64.44 years) completed measures of health-related quality of life, depression, anxiety, PBJW, and GBJW and provided pulmonary function data. RESULTS: Younger age and female sex were related to higher depression; female sex, living with others, and high financial burden were associated with higher anxiety. Worse health-related quality of life and lower PBJW were associated with higher depression and anxiety. An interaction between health-related quality of life and BJW was revealed. For patients with low PBJW, lower health-related quality of life was correlated with higher depression. For patients with stronger endorsement of GBJW, worse health-related quality of life was associated with higher depression and anxiety, but the variance of anxiety caused by interaction was insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that for patients with COPD experiencing health deterioration, holding strong PBJW but weak GBJW may be beneficial for mental health. Our study advances our understanding of the different functions of PBJW and GBJW in mental health across different groups and cultures.

Moral disengagement, locus of control, and belief in a just world: Individual differences relate to adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.

We examined relationships between moral disengagement, locus of control, and just world beliefs and adherence to COVID-19 containment measures. We predicted that these individual differences would be more influential for adherence than beliefs about the pandemic (e.g., its origins and one's perceived susceptibility to infection). COVID-19-related measures of these three individual differences were each significantly associated with adherence even after controlling for demographics and pandemic beliefs although beliefs about the severity of the virus and the benefits of containment measures also significantly related to adherence. Beliefs were associated with the individual difference measures and political orientation. Moral disengagement, the strongest individual difference predictor, was associated with lower support for each pandemic containment precaution (e.g., mask wearing). These results can be used to frame messages to increase adherence to public health measures.

The impacts of a COVID-19 epidemic focus and general belief in a just world on individual emotions.

Whether the general belief in a just world (GBJW) can protect individual emotions during a major disaster is a matter of debate. This study conducted two experiments to explore this question during the COVID-19 epidemic. Experiment 1 (N = 92, M age = 22.52, 48.91% was male) manipulated the focus regarding the COVID-19 epidemic to investigate the impact of this focus on participants' emotions. The results showed that compared with the nonepidemic focus group, the epidemic focus group had higher negative emotions and lower positive emotions. Experiment 2 (N = 200, M age = 23.91, 49% was male) manipulated the epidemic focus and GBJW to investigate their effects on the participants' emotions. The results showed that high levels of GBJW reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions regardless of whether the participants were focused on the epidemic. This study expands the influence of the GBJW on individual emotions and finds that the GBJW can protect individuals' emotions when they face a major social disaster. These findings imply that controlling people's intake of information on the epidemic can avoid their suffering from the vicarious traumatization caused by epidemic-related information overload and that improving the public's GBJW protects their mental health during an epidemic.

Negative life events and nonsuicidal self-injury in prisoners: The mediating role of hopelessness and moderating role of belief in a just world.

OBJECTIVES: The rate of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among prisoners is higher than that in the general population. However, less is known about correlates and risk factors during imprisonment. Based on Dear's model of NSSI in prison, our study tested the mediation effect of hopelessness and the moderation effect of belief in a just world in the association between negative life events and NSSI. METHODS: A total of 1,042 Chinese male prisoners completed questionnaires concerning negative life events, hopelessness, and belief in a just world. Their NSSI was assessed in structured interviews. RESULTS: The results showed that negative life events were positively associated with prisoners' hopelessness, which in turn was positively associated with their NSSI. Belief in a just world weakened the mediation effect. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the need to consider environmental and personal factors simultaneously when evaluating risks associated with prisoners' NSSI, and they have important implications for prevention and intervention.