This study validated Polish versions of the Coronavirus Stress Measure (CSM) and the COVID-19 Burnout Scale (COVID-19-BS) to measure stress and burnout associated with COVID-19. Participants were 431 Polish young adults (72.6% female; Mean_age = 26.61 ± 12.63). Confirmatory factor analysis verified a one-factor solution for both the CSM and the COVID-19-BS. Both scales had high internal consistency reliability. Coronavirus stress and COVID-19 burnout were positively related to depression, anxiety, and stress and negatively related to resilience. The coronavirus stress and COVID-19 burnout were correlated with elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress over and beyond resilience, age, and gender. Findings suggest that the Polish versions of the CSM and the COVID-19-BS are valid scales to measure stress and burnout related to COVID-19. Findings also demonstrated that the coronavirus stress and COVID-19 burnout experienced during the later stages of the pandemic might be a permanent risk factor for mental health problems.

Background: Weight stigma is a serious challenge because of its negative impact on human health and harmful psychological and behavioral consequences. The aim of the study was to explore and compare the relationships between self-reported body weight and weight-related stigmatization experiences and body image, mental self-image, self-esteem, and stereotypes concerning people with obesity among young adult Polish women (N= 374; aged between 18 and 35).Methods: The study was conducted online on a Polish sample recruited through a social network site, a website, and snowball sampling. Body mass index (BMI) was used to assign the respondents to groups with normal or excess weight. We tested whether women enrolled in the study experienced weight-related stigmatization using two questions based on the concepts of spoiled identity and related to the obesity stigma. The Contour Drawing Rating Scale was used to study different aspects of the body image and discrepancies between them. The Self-Discrepancy Questionnaire was used to study the self-schemas associated with mental qualities. The Polish version of the Rosenberg’s Self Esteem Scale was applied to determine self-esteem level. Stereotypes concerning people with obesity were studied using the semantic differential method.Results: Although excess weight was associated with weight-related stigmatization experiences, many women reported confronting such stigmatization even though their body weight was normal according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Women with excess weight and women with weight-related stigmatization experiences were characterized by larger discrepancies between theactualbody image and theideal,reflected, andoughtbody image, lower self-esteem, and more negative beliefs about their mentalactualandreflected selfcompared to women with normal weight and without weight-related stigmatization experiences. The study participants from all groups tended to believe theiractualbody image to be ampler than theidealand theoughtbody images. They also believed that other people perceived their mental qualities more positively than they did. The study groups were also characterized by negative stereotypes of people with obesity, although these stereotypes were more vital in women with excess weight and women who experienced weight-related stigmatization.Conclusion: The study shows the similarity between psychological functioning of women with self-reported excess weight and those who experience weight-related stigma. The results also provide guidelines for practical actions aimed at reducing negative mental outcomes associated with not conforming to body weight standards.

Men with distinct facial hair are perceived as more aggressive, dominant, older, and more formidable, mostly by other men. However, despite considerable interest in the social perception of beardedness, only a few studies have explored men’s preferences toward facial hair. We investigated men’s preferences toward facial hair and whether their judgments of facial hair appropriateness in social situations depended on their actual beardedness and the type of social interaction (N = 509; age: M = 29.35, SD = 7.24). Men preferred having more facial hair, particularly when they have a heavy stubble or a full beard. Men preferred more facial hair for themselves compared to other men, suggesting that men’s preferences for facial hair could be based on the frequency-dependent value of a display, namely more value assigned to rarer attributes. Men’s judgments of the appropriateness of facial hair were sensitive to social situations for displaying facial hair as well. More facial hair was considered more appropriate for informal situations, especially with another man. Social norms associated with formal interaction could, therefore, limit the impression management functions of beards in intrasexual competition.

Researchers have found that men’s facial hair may have certain signaling functions connected with intrasexual competition and intersexual attractiveness. The interesting issue is whether men’s and women’s preferences for men’s facial hair may be considered a reflection of their intuitive knowledge about these functions. The aim of the presented studies was to analyze women’s and men’s preferences regarding men’s facial hair using questions with a dichotomous answer format (Study 1 and Study 2) and pictorial stimuli (Study 2). In both studies, women were asked to indicate their preferences for men’s facial hair. Men were asked to report preferences for facial hair in themselves and in other men, as well as to report their actual appearance of facial hair. The results showed that women’s preferences for men’s facial hair were ambiguous, while men preferred facial hair for themselves and had a lower inclination to prefer facial hair in other men. It suggests that men may be aware of some aspects of signaling functions of facial hair, especially these connected with intrasexual competition.

The COVID-19 pandemic and preventive measures undertaken by many governments have had a significant impact on family relationships, which could result in worsened parenting. In our study, we used network analysis to examine the dynamic system of parental and pandemic burnout, depression, anxiety, and three dimensions of relationship with an adolescent: connectedness, shared activities, and hostility. Parents (N = 374; M_age = 42.9) of at least one child at the age of adolescence completed an online survey. The central symptoms in the network were parental emotional exhaustion and parental anxiety. Parental emotional exhaustion correlated negatively with activities shared with the adolescent, but positively with hostility. Anxiety correlated positively with parental emotional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion and anxiety were the strongest bridge symptoms between parental burnout, internalizing symptoms, and parenting. Our results suggest that psychological interventions supporting parent-adolescent relationships should address primarily parental emotional exhaustion and anxiety.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students refused to turn on their webcams during synchronous online classes. Students may intentionally remain invisible to teachers and colleagues for reasons related to their motivation and emotions. However, less is known about the relationships between students’ activity and frequency of turning on the webcam during synchronous online classes and their self-compassion. In our study (N = 450, Polish students aged 18 to 28), we examined the relationship between students’ self-compassion, self-esteem, body esteem, and discomfort when using webcams with their activity and frequency of turning on the webcam during synchronous online classes. We found that men scored higher than women on self-compassion, self-esteem, and body esteem, but lower on discomfort when using the webcam. In both genders, higher self-compassion was associated with higher self-esteem, higher body esteem, higher activity during synchronous online classes, and less discomfort when using the webcam. Moreover, in women, higher self-compassion was linked with more frequent turning on the webcam. We also observed that discomfort when using the webcam and self-esteem mediated relationships between self-compassion and activity and turning on the webcam during synchronous online classes. Our results indicate the importance of improving self-compassion in students during online education.