The current study investigated the relationships between bonding social capital, perceptions of justice, and well-being (i.e. the level of depressive symptoms endorsed) in middle and high school students. Previous research has found personal belief in a just world (BJW) and bonding social capital to be associated with positive student well-being outcomes; however, prior research has not yet examined the relationships between these three variables simultaneously. Students from four schools (N = 602) completed questionnaires to better understand the relationships between bonding social capital, personal BJW, and well-being, and how these variables differ based on racial and socioeconomic background. Of note, the questionnaire included one narrative response question to better understand the sources that influence perceptions of justice. There were racial and/or socioeconomic differences in all three variables. Students from racially and/or socioeconomically privileged backgrounds reported significantly higher bonding social capital, higher personal BJW, and/or more positive well-being outcomes. Students’ families and their own lived experiences (i.e. past negative experiences) were cited most frequently as impacting perceptions of justice on the narrative response question. Finally, personal BJW partially mediated the relationship between bonding social capital and well-being. Data from the narrative responses and the mediating effect of personal BJW highlight the importance of students’ interactions with their immediate environments in shaping perceptions of justice and well-being.

中文翻译：

---

凝聚社会资本，对公正世界的个人信念与幸福之间的关系：对多样化学生样本的分析

当前的研究调查了中学生与社会资本的结合，正义感和幸福感（即抑郁症状得到认可）之间的关系。先前的研究发现，个人对公正世界（BJW）的信仰以及与社会资本的纽带与学生积极的幸福感相关。但是，先前的研究尚未同时检查这三个变量之间的关系。从四个学校的学生（ñ = 602）完成了问卷调查，以更好地理解社会资本，个人BJW和福祉之间的关系，以及这些变量如何根据种族和社会经济背景而有所不同。值得注意的是，问卷包括一个叙述性回答问题，目的是更好地理解影响正义观念的来源。所有三个变量都存在种族和/或社会经济差异。来自种族和/或社会经济特权背景的学生报告说，社会资本的联结性更高，个人BJW更高，和/或幸福感更积极。学生的家庭和他们的生活经历（即过去的负面经历）最常被引用为对叙事回应问题上的正义感的影响。最后，个人BJW在某种程度上介导了社会资本与幸福之间的关系。来自个人BJW的叙事回应和中介作用的数据凸显了学生与周围环境的互动对塑造正义和幸福感的重要性。