Time attitudes predict changes in adolescent self-efficacy: A 24-month latent transition mover-stayer analysis

Increasingly, the study of temporal psychology is moving away from bivariate analyses towards person-centered analyses, which simultaneously account for scores on past, present and future dimensions. However, longitudinal studies are lacking. This study builds on a developing literature by examining the 24-month relationship between time attitudes and criterion variables. Four latent profiles called Positive, Ambivalent, Moderately Negative, and Negative, were identified. Results showed that time attitude profiles were generally unstable across the first three years of high school. However, those who stayed in the Positive profile developed higher self-efficacy in all domains. Transitioning to the Positive profile was associated with positive outcomes, whereas other transitions among profiles were associated with negative outcomes. There were small-sized, socio-demographic effects such that living in Northern Ireland (compared to Scotland), being male, and not being entitled to a free school meal, were all related to membership of, or transition to, the Positive profile.