System Justification's Opposite Effects on Psychological Wellbeing: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model in a Gay Men...

Those who adhere to system-justifying beliefs benefit from a palliative function that buffers negative effects on psychological wellbeing. This has been consistently observed for high-status groups, whereas for members of low-status groups, it remains rather unclear whether system justification exerts a positive or a negative effect. This study tested the palliative effect of system justification on symptoms of anxiety-depression in a gay men and lesbian sample (N = 467) in Chile. Results from moderated mediation analyses revealed that system justification beliefs buffer symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, system justification enhances anxious and depressive symptoms through internalized homonegativity; this mediation effect was significant for gay men. We pose that justifying the social order comprises two contradictory functions: system justification as a coping source and, otherwise, as a source of distress under conditions of in-group derogation, posing a threat to wellbeing among members of low-status groups (as observed in gay and lesbian individuals). Implications of the opposing effects and gender differences are further discussed in this study.