Negative Life Events and Time Perspective Among Adolescents

Abstract

We examined negative life events and time perspective in adolescents. Negative life events were nonnormative experiences including school suspension, running away from home, or the death of a family member. Time perspective referred to thoughts and feelings about the past, present, and future. We assessed multiple dimensions including orientations and positive and negative feelings about time. Participants were 790 adolescents and data were self-reported. Findings indicated that (a) adolescents who experienced the highest number of negative life events were oriented toward the past, whereas adolescents who experienced the fewest negative life events were oriented toward the three time periods equally, and (b) negative life events were positively associated with negative feelings and inversely associated with positive feelings about time.