The relationship between belief in a just world and mental health among disadvantaged groups: A meta-analysis

Previous meta-analyses have found a significant positive correlation between belief in a just world and psychological well-being (Qiu & Tang, 2025), but they have not examined the impact of belief in a just world on the mental health of different groups. According to the resource hypothesis of belief in a just world (Zhou & Guo, 2013), it serves as a psychological resource that promotes an individual's mental health, implying that its impact on mental health does not vary across groups. However, based on the psychological buffer hypothesis of belief in a just world (Zhou & Guo, 2013), it plays a stronger protective role in the mental health of disadvantaged groups. To test this contradictory hypothesis, this study will employ meta-analysis to further investigate the impact of belief in a just world on the mental health of different groups.