{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T06:05:19Z","timestamp":1789452319178,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789430400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This research investigated the relationship between perceived meritocratic climate and self-stigma among adolescents in conflict with the law across two studies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Study 1 (\n                      <jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 322) employed a cross-sectional survey; Study 2 (\n                      <jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 254) used an experimental manipulation of perceived (non)meritocratic climate.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In Study 1, perceived meritocratic climate positively predicted self-stigma, and an exploratory serial mediation via collective self-esteem and social disconnection was observed. In Study 2, the serial mediation was not replicated; instead, the effect was mediated solely by social disconnection.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings suggest that perceived meritocratic climate, as a subjective manifestation of structural social evaluation, reinforces a dual stigmatized identity of being both an offender and a failure. Short-term interventions should focus on enhancing social connectedness to buffer against self-stigma, while long-term efforts should facilitate integration into socially valued and accepting groups, thereby elevating collective self-esteem, strengthening social connection, and ultimately reducing self-stigma.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1852343","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T05:35:33Z","timestamp":1789450533000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Perceived societal meritocratic climate and self-stigma among adolescents in conflict with the law: the mediating role of collective self-esteem and social disconnection"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Xiaoyi","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Education, Ludong University","place":["Yantai, China"]},{"name":"Institute for Education and Treatment of Problematic Youth, Ludong University","place":["Yantai, China"]},{"name":"Shandong Business Institute","place":["Yantai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wanlu","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shandong Business Institute","place":["Yantai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rong","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Weifang No. 1 Middle School","place":["Weifang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xue","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Education, Ludong University","place":["Yantai, China"]},{"name":"Institute for Education and Treatment of Problematic Youth, Ludong University","place":["Yantai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weijie","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Education, Ludong University","place":["Yantai, China"]},{"name":"Institute for Education and Treatment of Problematic Youth, Ludong University","place":["Yantai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"772","DOI":"10.1093\/restud\/rdae040","article-title":"Shallow meritocracy.","volume":"92","author":"Andre","year":"2025","journal-title":"Rev. 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