Mental Health and Personality of Slovak Unemployed Adolescents: The Impact of Belief in a Just World¹

Abstract

In 2 questionnaire studies with 3 groups of Slovak adolescents (students, short‐term unemployed, long‐term unemployed), the role of belief in a just world (B JW) as a buffer for the unemployed individuals’mental health (life satisfaction, personal worries, positive affect, negative affect, self‐esteem) was explored. The personal but not the general BJW showed a positive relationship with life satisfaction, positive affect, and self‐esteem, and this was true when controlled for objective (gender, unemployment status) and situational (subjective financial situation) predictors and further personality dimensions (Study 2: social desirability, extraversion, emotional lability). These adaptive relationships were consistently observed for students and short‐term unemployed adolescents, while the results for the long‐term unemployed participants and the negative mental health dimensions were mixed. It is discussed which coping reactions might mediate the personal BJW's adaptive effects.