Belief in a just world as a multidimensional construct: empirical validation in the Ukrainian context

This study examined the structure of belief in a just world, as measured by the Personal and General Belief in a Just World Questionnaire. The primary objective of the study was to compare the basic two-factor model with three competing models. The sample consisted of 629 Ukrainians aged 18 to 74 years (64.2% female). Statistical analysis included confirmatory factor analysis, assessment of reliability indices, and correlation analysis. The two-factor model showed a good fit to the data, while the single-factor model showed unsatisfactory fit indices, and the model with orthogonal factors showed even lower fit indices. The second-order factor model showed fit indices comparable to the baseline model, allowing belief in a just world for oneself and belief in a just world for all to be considered manifestations of the basic desire for justice. Measurement invariance of the questionnaire was confirmed for two gender and two age groups, and no significant differences were found between these groups. The nomological validity of the Ukrainian-language instrument was confirmed: both measures of belief in a just world were positively associated with life satisfaction and negatively with belief in a dangerous world, with these associations being stronger for belief in personal justice. The findings confirm the two-dimensional structure of the construct and demonstrate satisfactory psychometric properties of the Ukrainian version of the questionnaire, opening prospects for research on justice beliefs among the Ukrainian-speaking population, including in cross-cultural studies.