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A time to be chronically stressed? Maladaptive time perspectives are associated with allostatic load
Olivier Bourdon1, Catherine Raymond2, Marie-France Marin3
1Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Canada; Center on Sex⁎Gender, Allostasis, and Resilience, Canada.
Biological Psychology
|February 20, 2020
Summary
Understanding time perspectives is key to managing chronic stress. Focusing on the future may reduce allostatic load, while a fatalistic present outlook may increase it, impacting overall health.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Time perspectives influence psychological responses to acute stress.
- Previous research linked time perspectives to cortisol reactivity.
- The impact of time perspectives on chronic stress, specifically allostatic load, remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between different time perspectives and allostatic load in healthy adults.
- To determine if psychological time orientation modulates multi-systemic chronic stress.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study with 204 healthy adults (60 men, 144 women).
- Assessment of five time perspectives (past negative, past positive, present hedonistic, present fatalistic, future).
- Measurement of allostatic load using 23 neuroendocrine, immune, metabolic, and cardiovascular biomarkers.
- Statistical analysis using multiple regressions, controlling for sex, age, and depressive symptoms.
Main Results:
- A present fatalistic time perspective showed a positive correlation with allostatic load.
- A future time perspective demonstrated a negative correlation with allostatic load.
- These associations remained significant after controlling for covariates.
Conclusions:
- Time perspectives are linked to multi-systemic chronic stress (allostatic load).
- A future-oriented mindset may be protective against chronic stress.
- A present-fatalistic outlook may contribute to higher allostatic load.
- Findings suggest potential clinical implications for interventions targeting time perspectives to manage chronic stress and improve health.
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