Citation

Otto K, Boos A, Dalbert C, Schops D, Hoyer J. Pers. Individ. Dif. 2006; 40(5): 1075-1084.

Affiliation

Institute of Psychology II, Department of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Leipzig; Technical University of Dresden; Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.paid.2005.11.010

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In a questionnaire study with 112 German flood victims we investigated the influence of the belief in a just world (BJW) on important dimensions of mental health and psychopathology (e.g., depression). We hypothesized that BJW is able to buffer psychopathological symptoms following a natural disaster. Regression analyses showed that personal but not general BJW was negatively associated with anxiety, depression and general psychological distress. This pattern of results persisted when controlled for age, sex, substantial stressors and losses caused by the flood. Contrary to our expectations, BJW did not reveal an association with posttraumatic symptomatology, which is interpreted by referring to recent models of cognitive processing in PTSD. Overall, our results support the assertion that BJW buffers mental health.