This article is dedicated to Maria Grzegorzewska – an outstanding creator of the Polish school of special pedagogy, initiator, founder, and long-time director of the oldest university in Poland training special educators, and one of the most outstanding women in psychology of the 20th century, honored by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Academy of Special Pedagogy with the honorable title of Patroness of the year 2022. It presents the most important facts about her life and activities, the origins of her scientific interests, the sources of her creativity that determined how to coped with the challenges related to realizingher vocation to serve people with disabilities, her contribution to the development of various areas of culture and science, and the extraordinary power of influence on colleagues and students, thanks to which the knowledge system she created remains valid today and can set the direction for the further development of pedagogy and related disciplines.

The article presents a review of research on the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in children and adolescents raised in foster families. Epidemiological data indicate that these problems are significantly more in this group compared to children raised in biological families. Analysis of the results of the study indicates that children and adolescents from foster families are relatively more often observed to have behavioral problems than emotional problems. The article also presents factors that may increase the risk of these problems. They are divided into internal and external, environmental factors. The most common problems are polyetiological in nature. Also, the support given to the child and family should take into account multiple spheres and ways of influence.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the pathomechanism of eating disorders (ED) by examining mentalizing, attachment, and defense mechanisms. We conducted a study with 85 young women who completed the ECR-R, MentS, DSQ-40, and EAT-26 questionnaires. Women displaying high ED symptoms showed increased attachment anxiety and avoidance, utilized more immature defense mechanisms, and had lower levels of self-reflective mentalizing compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in interpersonal mentalizing and motivation for mentalizing. Regression analysis revealed that predictors of ED included attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and self-reflective mentalizing, explaining 47% of the variance in ED symptoms. Additionally, self-reflective mentalizing mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and the severity of ED symptoms.

Manifestations of high sensitivity can be recognized even in the youngest children. Therefore, it is not possible to test it through activities that may disrupt its proper functioning. The research presented aims to investigate the development of this trait. There have been no longitudinal studies focusing on this trait in children, as they have not been widely researched or passed between devices that connect children with their parents. The study analyzed data from 131 children aged 8–11, including 84 tested twice, and 33 pairs of parents. The Highly Sensitive Child Scale in the Polish adaptation by Baryła-Matejczuk and Poleszak, and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale translated by Golonka and Gulla were used for measurement.

The collected data confirm the validity of distinguishing three significantly different groups among children that are under control. It was noticed that girls have a higher sensitivity level than boys, and high sensitivity characterizes them more often than boys at a statistically significant level. The similarity in sensitivity levels between children and their parents has also been confirmed, along with the statistical significance in both parents. The percentage of highly sensitive children in the study group does not align with Elaine Aron’s theory assumptions and previous research findings. Additional predictions have been partially supported by the data.

While the obtained validation results have been expanded upon, it is important to note the absence of this type of testing, and these initial findings can serve as preliminary values for further in-depth analyses in the future.

Manifestations of high sensitivity can be recognized even in the youngest children. Therefore, it is not possible to test it through activities that may disrupt its proper functioning. The research presented aims to investigate the development of this trait. There have been no longitudinal studies focusing on this trait in children, as they have not been widely researched or passed between devices that connect children with their parents. The study analyzed data from 131 children aged 8–11, including 84 tested twice, and 33 pairs of parents. The Highly Sensitive Child Scale in the Polish adaptation by Baryła-Matejczuk and Poleszak, and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale translated by Golonka and Gulla were used for measurement.

The collected data confirm the validity of distinguishing three significantly different groups among children that are under control. It was noticed that girls have a higher sensitivity level than boys, and high sensitivity characterizes them more often than boys at a statistically significant level. The similarity in sensitivity levels between children and their parents has also been confirmed, along with the statistical significance in both parents. The percentage of highly sensitive children in the study group does not align with Elaine Aron’s theory assumptions and previous research findings. Additional predictions have been partially supported by the data.

While the obtained validation results have been expanded upon, it is important to note the absence of this type of testing, and these initial findings can serve as preliminary values for further in-depth analyses in the future.

The main goal of this research was to recognize the psychosocial consequences of undertaking the developmental tasks in early adulthood. We wanted to focus on verification of the influency developmental tasks (undertaking them, their importance, satisfaction, and punctuality) on the sense of adulthood, and life satisfaction. The sample consisted of 343 people, 19–35 years old. The results showed that: (1) all studied aspects of developmental tasks have a positive influence on the sense of adulthood; (2) stronger sense of adulthood and (3) undertaking two developmental tasks (marriage/partnership, professional activity) result in a higher life satisfaction.

The challenges of simultaneously experiencing depressive disorders and autism spectrum conditions pose a significant threat to the well-being of young adult women. Previous research reports indicate that engagement in meaningful activities, specifically analysed in occupational therapy, can not only increase the effectiveness of the activities performed, but also have a positive impact on overall life satisfaction and mental health. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between the severity of autistic traits, involvement in meaningful activities and depression in women. The following tools were used in the study: Short Autism Spectrum Quotient Test (AQ-10), Engagement in Meaningful Activities Scale (EMAS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The study involved 237 women aged 18 to 35 years (M = 21.1; SD = 1.93), who were divided into two subgroups based on AQ-10 indicators. The results revealed a linear relationship between the severity of autistic traits and involvement in meaningful activities and depressive symptoms. Additionally, a correlation was found between engagement in meaningful activities and depression. It was also identified that the intensification of autistic traits significantly differentiated the level of engagement in meaningful activities but did not differentiate the level of depression.