Death anxiety and materialism during the pandemic: investigating the role of personal experiences of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Given that personal experiences related to coronavirus (such as being infected or having a close friend or family member diagnosed with it) may induce greater fear of death, and based on terror management theory, we hypothesised that personal experiences of COVID-19 would be associated with increased materialism. Furthermore, the relationship between personal experiences of COVID-19 and materialism was expected to be mediated by generalised anxiety. Two quasi-experimental studies were conducted: Study 1 (N = 1,138) during the first wave of infections in Poland and Study 2 (N = 285) during the second wave. Study 1 showed that individuals with close friends or family members who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 (n = 43) had higher levels of materialism (mainly in the dimension of centrality), and this relationship was mediated by the level of generalised anxiety. Study 2 showed that average levels of materialism decreased during the pandemic, but not among respondents who had suffered from coronavirus infection (n = 32) – levels of materialism increased in this group, especially in the dimension of centrality. Our studies are the first to show how personal real-life experiences related to COVID-19 can translate into levels of materialism in individuals.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• materialism
• terror management theory
• generalised anxiety

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The complete data set for the study can be found at the Open Science Framework (OSF): OSF.IO/DX5J2

Notes

1. In previous studies, Cronbach’s alphas for the centrality scale were also relatively low. For example, in validation studies for the Polish version of the MVS scale for centrality, Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .61 to .66 (Górnik-Durose, 2016). The centrality scale has relatively low reliability in many studies because it contains a reverse-coded question (it is the only question of this type in the short version of the MVS). Given this fact, we decided to conduct additional analyzes in which we excluded this question (#5) from the centrality scale. After excluding this question, the Cronbach’s alpha for the centrality scale with two items was 0.81 and for the general materialism scale (8 questions) was 0.88. The results obtained (see Appendix B) were consistent with those of the full version of the MVS tool. Therefore, despite the relatively low reliability of the centrality scale, we decided to present the results based on the full scale (with item #5). Given that the MVS scale is used in many countries, omitting a question might make it difficult to compare our results with those of other researchers.

2. In our opinion, during the first wave of COVID-19, people were emotionally very sensitive to any new infection, both if they were infected themselves and if their friends/relatives were infected. After the long and intense period of the pandemic and due to the rapidly growing number of cases of the disease all over the world and also in Poland, which was essentially expressed in the fact that many Poles knew at least one or several cases in their family or circle of friends, our sensitivity and emotional reaction to each new case of infection was not as strong as it was at the beginning. This reasoning can be supported by study results showing that despite the increased number of COVID-19 cases, preoccupation with issues related to the pandemic, subjective perceptions of the risks associated with COVID-19, and psychological distress decreased (Bell & Wade, 2021; Bendau et al., 2021).

3. As in Study 1, the Cronbach’s alpha for the centrality scale was relatively low. After excluding question number 5, the Cronbach’s alpha for the two-item centrality scale was .73 for the retrospective measure and .78 for the current measure. For the general materialism scale (8 questions), the value was .85 for the retrospective measure and .87 for the current measure. The results obtained (see Appendix C) were consistent with those obtained with the full version of the MVS tool. Therefore, despite the relatively low reliability of the centrality scale, we decided to present the results based on the full scale (with item #5). Given that the MVS scale is used in many countries, omitting a question might make it difficult to compare our results with those of other researchers.

4. We also performed ANCOVA and MANCOVA analyses with the same operationalisation of COVID-19 experience as in study 1 (CoV1 group vs CoV2+CoV3+CoV4 group). As we expected, there were no significant results. These analyses are presented in Appendix D.

5. Analysis without covariates yielded similar results. The results of the repeated measures ANOVA with the within-subject effect of time and the between-subject factor of COVID-19 experience are shown in Appendix E.

6. Analysis without covariates yielded similar results. The results of the repeated measures MANOVA with the within-subject effect of time and the between-subject factor of COVID-19 experience are described in Appendix F.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Psychology from funding awarded by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education aimed at subsidising the maintenance and development of research potential [501-D125-01-1250000 zlec *5011000221, *5011000230; *5011000623].

Notes on contributors

Agata Trzcińska

Agata Trzcińska is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Warsaw. Her primary research interests encompass the economic socialisation of children, children’s materialism, and their understanding of money. Additionally, she conducts research on the determinants of materialism among adults.

Katarzyna Sekścińska

Katarzyna Sekścińska - doctor hab. of social sciences in the field of psychology. Psychologist and economist. Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Warsaw. Her scientific and research interests include economic psychology and behavioral economics. She is particularly interested in topics related to psychological and sociological factors affecting risky financial choices.