AUTHOR=Nartova-Bochaver Sofya , Donat Matthias , Rüprich Claudia 

TITLE=Subjective Well-Being From a Just-World Perspective: A Multi-Dimensional Approach in a Student Sample

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01739

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01739

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>In a cross-sectional study with <italic>N</italic> = 627 individuals (<italic>M</italic><sub>age</sub> = 22.8, <italic>SD</italic><sub>age</sub> = 7.3, 147 males, 480 females, 106 non-religious, 456 religious), we investigated personal belief in a just world (BJW) as a resource for undergraduates’ subjective well-being and expected a positive relation between both constructs due to recent studies. We not only aimed at replicating but also extending recent findings by investigating a Russian sample, measuring different dimensions of well-being, and considering self-esteem and resilience as potential mediators in the relation of BJW and well-being. We also controlled for confounding effects of age, gender, religiosity, and general BJW. The findings show that personal BJW related to all investigated indicators of well-being (depressive symptoms, positive and negative affect, and mental well-being). Self-esteem mediated all relations between personal BJW and indicators of subjective well-being whereas resilience mediated relations of personal BJW to positive affect and mental well-being. The pattern of results persisted when we controlled for age, gender, religiosity, and general BJW. Our results confirm that the personal BJW world functions as a psychological resource in undergraduate students.</p>