Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2026-3
Examining the Impact of Relative Deprivation on the Tendency Toward Violence With the Mediation of Perception of Social Justice (Case Study: Youth in Hengyang,China)
Youth violence is a critical social issue, often linked to feelings of relative deprivation (RD) and perceptions of social injustice. Understanding how these factors interact can inform strategies to reduce violence among young people. This study examines the impact of RD on youth violence tendencies, with a specific focus on the mediating role of the perception of social justice. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,500 young people aged 20 to 30 in a major urban center in China, selected through convenience sampling. Structural equation modeling using SmartPLS assessed the relationships between RD, social justice perception, and youth violence. RD was positively associated with youth violence tendency (β = .45, p < .001). The perception of social justice significantly mediated this relationship, reducing the direct effect of deprivation on violence (β = −.15, p < .001). Both distributive and procedural justice played critical roles in moderating youth responses to perceived deprivation. Results of this evaluation suggested that RD may increase the likelihood of youth violence, and that perceptions of social justice may mitigate this association. Addressing socioeconomic inequalities and enhancing fairness in resource distribution and decision-making processes are crucial strategies to reduce youth violence.
BerkowitzL. (1990). On the formation and regulation of anger and aggression: A cognitive-neoassociationistic analysis. American Psychologist, 45(4), 494–503.
4.
Bar-TalD. (2017). Intractable conflicts: Socio-psychological foundations and dynamics. Cambridge University Press.
5.
BlauJ. R.BlauP. M. (1982). The cost of inequality: Metropolitan structure and violent crime. American Sociological Review, 47(1), 114–129.
6.
CrosbyF. (1976). A model of egoistic relative deprivation. Psychological Review, 83(2), 85–113.
7.
FarringtonD. P.LoeberR.TtofiM. M. (2012). Development and risk factors of youth violence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50(1), 1–10.
8.
FarringtonD. P.TtofiM. M. (2021). Advancing knowledge about youth violence: Child maltreatment, bullying, dating violence, and intimate partner violence. Journal of Family Violence, 36(1), 109–115.
9.
FestingerL. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.
10.
GellesR. J.StraussM. A. (1979). Violence in the family: A review of research in the seventies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41(4), 633–642.
11.
GilliganJ. (1996). Violence: Reflections on a national epidemic. Vintage Books.
12.
GilliganJ. (2001a). Preventing violence: Prospects for tomorrow. Thames & Hudson.
13.
GilliganJ. (2001b). Violence, inequality, and social justice. Health Affairs, 20(3), 78–83.
14.
GilliganJ. (2003). Shame, guilt, and violence. Social Research, 70(4), 1149–1180.
15.
GrantP. R.AbramsD.RobertsonD. W.GarayJ. (2015). Predicting protests by disadvantaged skilled immigrants: A test of an integrated social identity, relative deprivation, collective efficacy (SIRDE) model. Social Justice Research, 28(1), 76–101.
16.
GurrT. R. (1968). Psychological factors in civil violence. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 12(3), 110–120.
17.
GurrT. R. (1970a). RD and the impulse to violence. World Politics, 23(2), 24–36.
18.
GurrT. R. (1970b). Why do men rebel?Princeton University Press.
19.
HaackP.SiewekeJ.WesselL. (Eds.). (2019). Microfoundations of institutions. Emerald Publishing Limited.
20.
HuoY. J.BinningK. R. (2008). Why social justice matters in intergroup relations: The role of group identity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(4), 616–631. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.94.4.616
21.
HuoY. J.TylerT. R. (2000). How different ethnic groups react to legal authority. Law & Society Review, 34(3), 453–483.
22.
JacksonJ.KuhaJ.BradfordB.HoughM. (2024). Why do people cooperate with the police and criminal courts? A test of procedural justice theory in 30 countries. CrimRxiv.
23.
JiangT.ChenZ. (2020). Relative deprivation: A mechanism for the ostracism–aggression link. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(2), 347–359.
24.
KakliZ. (1998). Aggression and violence: A comprehensive overview. In TabriziMohseni (Ed.), Psychology of human behavior (pp. 20–40). Samt Publications.
25.
KawachiI.KennedyB. P.WilkinsonR. G. (1999). Crime: Social disorganization and relative deprivation. Social Science & Medicine, 48(6), 719–731.
26.
KieselbachT. (2003). Long-term unemployment among young people: The risk of social exclusion. American Journal of Community Psychology, 32(1–2), 69–76.
27.
KieselbachT.van HeeringenK.La RosaM.LemkowL.SokouK.StarrinB. (Eds.). (2013). Living on the edge: An empirical analysis of long-term youth unemployment and social exclusion in Europe (Vol. 11). Springer Science & Business Media.
28.
KlineR. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modelling. Guilford Press.
29.
LindE. A.TylerT. R. (1988). The social psychology of procedural justice. Springer Science & Business Media.
30.
MacKenzieR. D. (2004). Social psychology and aggression: A review. In TabriziMohseni (Ed.), Social psychology insights (pp. 300–320). University Press.
31.
MagerzyA. (1995). Psychological dimensions of violence. Harper & Row.
32.
Mohseni TabriziH. (2000). Social psychological approaches to aggression and violence. Journal of Social Psychology, 10(3), 300–320.
33.
MartinJ. (2014). The tolerance of injustice. In OlsonJ. M.HermanC. P.ZannaM. P. (Eds.), Relative deprivation and social comparison: The Ontario Symposium (pp. 217–242). Psychology Press.
34.
MikulaG.SchererK. R. (2000a). Perceiving injustice: The role of moral judgments in the experience of injustice. Social Justice Research, 13(1), 1–24.
35.
MikulaG.SchererK. R. (2000b). Justice and social conflict. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(3), 113–116.
36.
PettigrewT. F.MeertensR. W. (1995a). RD and intergroup attitudes. European Journal of Social Psychology, 25(1), 57–75.
37.
PettigrewT. F.MeertensR. W. (1995b). Subtle and blatant prejudice in Western Europe. European Journal of Social Psychology, 25(1), 57–75.
38.
PiazzaJ.SousaP.RottmanJ.SyropoulosS. (2019). Which appraisals are foundational to moral judgment? Harm, injustice, and beyond. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 10(7), 903–913.
39.
PowerS. A. (2018). The deprivation-protest paradox: How the perception of unfair economic inequality leads to civic unrest. Current Anthropology, 59(6), 765–789. https://doi.org/10.1086/700703
ReissA. J.RothJ. A. (1993). Understanding and preventing violence. National Academy Press.
42.
RuncimanW. G. (1966). RD and social justice: A study of attitudes to social inequality in twentieth-century England. University of California Press.
43.
SampsonR. J. (2012). Great American city: Chicago and the enduring neighbourhood effect. University of Chicago Press.
44.
SampsonR. J.RaudenbushS. W.EarlsF. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918–924.
45.
SmithK.AdamsR.JohnsonL. (2012). RD and its impact on violent crime rates in the United States. Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(3), 264–271.
46.
SmithL.JohnsonK. (2020). Youth and violence: A systematic review. Journal of Youth Studies, 45(3), 411–425.
47.
SprottJ. B.DoobA. N. (2009). Justice for Canadian youth: A historical perspective. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 51(2), 197–207.
48.
StoufferS. A.SuchmanE. A.DeVinneyL. C.StarS. A.WilliamsR. M. (1949). The American soldier: Adjustment during army life. Princeton University Press.
49.
SturmeyP. (2022). Definitions of violence and aggression. Violence and Aggression: Integrating Theory, Research, and Practice, 3–33.
50.
SuS.ZhangJ.XiaL. X. (2023). The relationship between group RD and aggressive collective action online toward deprivation-related provocateurs within the group: The mediating role of hostile feelings. Current Psychology, 42(29), 25246–25256.
51.
TajfelH.TurnerJ. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In AustinW. G.WorchelS. (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Brooks/Cole.
52.
TylerT. R. (2000). Social justice: Outcome and procedure. International Journal of Psychology, 35(2), 117–125.
WilkinsonR. G. (1996). The impact of inequality: How to make sick societies healthier. Social Science & Medicine, 41(4), 421–430.
57.
WilkinsonR. G.PickettK. E. (2010). The spirit level: Why greater equality makes societies stronger. Bloomsbury Press.
58.
WilliamsonH.MurphyK.MadonN. S. (2023). The negative implications of relative deprivation: An experiment of vicarious police contact and Muslims’ perceptions of police bias. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 49(1), 66–84.
59.
WongP. H. (2021). Economic deprivation: Approaches, causes, and consequences for violent conflicts. In Leal FilhoW.AzulA. M.BrandliL.SalviaA. L.ÖzuyarP. G.WallT. (Eds.), Peace, justice and strong institutions (pp. 187–197). Springer International Publishing.
60.
XiongM.HuZ. (2022). RD and depressive symptoms among Chinese migrant children: The impacts of self-esteem and belief in a just world. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1008370.
61.
YuL.GuM.ChanK. L. (2023). Hong Kong adolescents’ participation in political activities: Correlates of violent political participation. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18(3), 1365–1405.
