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Background. Previous studies carried out in different countries indicated that young adults experience higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms than older age groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about which epidemic-related difficulties and factors may contribute to these forms of emotional distress in various age groups. Purpose. The aim of the current study was to investigate: (i) differences in levels of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms, as well as perceived difficulties related to pandemic across four age groups in the Polish population; (ii) which factors and difficulties related to pandemic are predictors of generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms in various age groups during the COVID-19 lockdown. Method. A total of 1115 participants (aged 18-85) took part in the study. The group was a representative sample of the Polish population in terms of sex, age, and place of residence. Participants completed online: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Scale of Perceived Health and Life Risk of COVID-19, Social Support Sale, Scale of Epidemic-Related Difficulties. Results. Younger age groups (18-29 and 30-44) experienced higher levels of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms than older adults (45-59 and 60-85 years). Difficulties in relationships and at home were amongst the strongest predictors of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms in all age groups. Fear and uncertainty related to the spread of the virus were one of the most important predictors of emotional distress in all the groups apart from the adults between 18-29 years, whereas difficulties related to external restrictions were one of the most significant predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms only in the youngest group. Conclusions. Our results indicate that the youngest adults and those experiencing difficulties in relationships among household members were the most vulnerable to depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown. Thus, it is important to plan preventive and therapeutic interventions to support these at-risk individuals in dealing with the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The goal of this project was to develop and validate a new instrument that reliably measures materialism in preschool children (4–6 years old). A simple and universal Pictorial Materialism Test (PMT) was created and then its psychometric properties were evaluated. The PMT consists of 32 items reflecting two dimensions: acquisition as the pursuit of happiness and success defined by possessions. To examine the psychometric properties of the PMT, 204 children aged 4–6 years participated in the study. To examine the reliability of the PMT, we calculated the internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and test–retest intra-class correlation. To determine the convergent validity of the PMT, correlations with another measure of children's materialism (Happiness Collage) and with age were examined. Results confirmed that materialism can be reliably reported by preschool children and that the PMT has satisfactory (albeit moderate) psychometric properties, but requires further validation studies. Nonetheless, the instrument developed in this project is promising for further research because it is universally applicable and has the potential to be used in research on materialism in preschool children around the world. JEL codes: A13, C18, D12

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