Time Perspective and Substance Use: An Examination Across Three Adolescent Samples

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Adolescent Health
• Substance Use Research

Background:

• Time perspective, encompassing feelings and thoughts about past, present, and future, is a key psychological construct.
• Adolescent substance use remains a significant public health concern, necessitating research into contributing factors.
• Understanding the nuances of time perspective can offer novel insights into adolescent behavioral patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between time perspective dimensions (time attitudes and time orientation) and substance use behaviors in adolescents.
• To examine these relationships across diverse adolescent samples, including adjudicated youth and general school populations.
• To identify potential targets for intervention by clarifying the role of time perspective in substance use.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey data were collected from three distinct adolescent samples (N=2,914).
• Statistical analyses included Poisson and negative binomial regression to examine relationships between time perspective and substance use.
• Participants' feelings (time attitudes) and thoughts (time orientation) about time were assessed.

Main Results:

• More positive feelings about time were significantly associated with fewer substances used.
• Conversely, more negative feelings about time were linked to higher levels of substance use.
• Adolescents with a balanced time orientation (emphasizing past, present, and future equally) reported less substance use compared to those focusing on fewer time periods.

Conclusions:

• Time perspective dimensions are demonstrably related to adolescent substance use.
• Specific feelings toward the past and present time periods showed particularly strong associations with substance use.
• Findings suggest that interventions targeting time perspective may be effective in reducing adolescent substance use.