ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Forensic and Legal Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1593698
Psychological predictors of future dangerous behavior among probationers: Evidence from judicial bureaus in four provinces in China
Provisionally accepted
Tun Xu1
Junming Ma2*- 1School of Law,China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
- 2Mental Health Center, Shandong Urban Construction Vocational College, Jinan, China
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This study empirically investigates the psychological mechanisms influencing future dangerous behaviors among probationers through a survey of 1,023 probationers in China. The study aimed to identify factors predicting future dangerous behaviors and the relationship between factors. The results indicate that, after controlling for age, gender, education, crime type, sentencing term, and residency status, probationers' sense of relative deprivation was a significant predictor of their future dangerous behaviors. Negative coping styles partially mediated the relationship between relative deprivation and future dangerous behaviors, while self-esteem negatively moderated both the direct effect of relative deprivation on future dangerous behaviors and the mediating effect of negative coping styles. This study underscores the pivotal role of subjective perceptions (relative deprivation), psychological mechanisms (negative coping styles), and personal resources (self-esteem) in shaping probationers' future dangerous behaviors. In addition, judicial officials should integrate community-based strategies to enhance probationers' adaptive coping skills and improve their self-esteem, thereby reducing the likelihood of further dangerous behavior and promoting successful reintegration into society.
Keywords: Future dangerous behaviors, relative deprivation, Negative coping styles, self-esteem, community corrections, Judicial officials
Received: 14 Mar 2025; Accepted: 07 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Junming Ma, majunming@graduate.utm.my
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