Temporal perspective and mental functioning of socially maladjusted youth held in conditions of institutional isolation

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the research presented was to determine whether the temporal perspective of socially maladjusted adolescents, held against their will in conditions of institutional isolation, can be linked to the level of their mental functioning. Method: The researchers applied standardized psychological tests in a survey of a group of 311 adolescents (38 females, 273 males), aged 13–18, who were held in a youth education center (YEC) following family court rulings. Results: After a psychological characterization of three groups of adolescents with different temporal perspectives, distinguished on the basis of cluster analysis, it was proven that the temporal perspective of adolescents held in institutional isolation is crucial to the quality of their mental functioning. The participants who scored significantly lower in all dimensions of temporal perspective seemed to be experiencing lower-intensity loneliness, depression and stress. Those, on the other hand, whose perspective was of the present-hedonistic or past-negative types felt lonelier, lived under more stress and suffered from more severe forms of depression. The teenagers whose temporal perspective was past-positive and future-oriented turned out to be most balanced in terms of the investigated psychological variables, which may confirm the importance of a balanced temporal perspective for good quality of life. Conclusions: The strongest effect was found in relation to peer and family loneliness, which indicates the importance of family and peers in the teenagers’ psychosocial development. These findings promote further reflection on the legitimacy of institutional measures used in the rehabilitation of socially maladjusted youth to date, and the search for new, effective kinds of social rehabilitation intervention.