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A Balanced Time Perspective in Adulthood: Well-being and Developmental Effects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2013

Jeffrey Dean Webster  and
Xiaodong Ma
Jeffrey Dean Webster*
Affiliation:
Langara College
Xiaodong Ma*
Affiliation:
University of Houston–Clear Lake
*
†Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Jeffrey Dean Webster, M.Ed. Psychology Department Langara College 100 West 49th Avenue Vancouver, BC V5Y 2Z6 (jwebster@langara.bc.ca)
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Abstract

This article presents a study that directly replicated the recently developed Balanced Time Perspective Scale (BTPS; J.D. Webster, 2011) and included middle-aged and older adults. Participants included 90 younger, 69 middle-aged, and 69 older adults who completed the BTPS and a measure of life satisfaction and happiness. A factor analysis replicated original findings with separate subscales for a past orientation and a future orientation obtaining simple structure (alphas = .94 and .95 respectively). A balanced time perspective predicted higher scores on both measures of well-being replicating the original J.D. Webster (2011) findings. A chi-square analysis indicated, as predicted, that the percentage of younger adults tended to be higher in the future-focused category, and the percentage of older adults tended to be higher in the past-focused category. Implications of a balanced time perspective on mental health over the life course are discussed.

Résumé

Cet article présente une étude qui reproduit directement l’Échelle de perspective temporelle éqilibrée (EPTE), récemment développée, et comprenait des adultes d’âge moyen et plus âgés. Parmi les participants figuraient 90 jeunes, 69 d’âge moyen, et 69 adulte âgés qui ont complété le BPTS comme une mesure de la vie sur la base de la Perspective de temps equilibrée. Une analyse factorielle a répliqué les résultats initiaux avec sous-échelles distinctes pour l’orientation au passé et à l’avenir, avec l’obtention d’une structure simple (alpha = .94 e .95, respectivenment). Une perspective de temps equilibrée prédit des scores plus élevés sur les deux mesures du bien-être, reproduisant les constations originales de J. D. Webster (2011). Comme prévu, une analyse du chi-carré a indiqué que le pourcentage de jeunes adultes avaient tendance à se trouver dans l’orientation axée sur l’avenir, et que les adultes plus âgés avaient tendance à se trouver dans l’orientation axée sur le passé. Les implications d’une perspective temporelle équilibrée sur la santé mentale au cours de la vie sont discutées.

Keywords

agingfuture time perspectivemental healthmiddle-aged adultsolder adultsreminiscencevieillissmentperspective du temps futuresanté mentalepersonnes d’âge moyenaînésréminiscence
Type
Research Note / Note de recherche
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 433 - 442
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2013 

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