The influence of time attitudes on adolescent alcohol use behaviours: a 33-month prospective study in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Time Perspective researchers are concerned with the way in which a combination of thoughts and feelings about the past, present and future influence behaviour. Time attitudes comprise a dimension of time perspective where the focus is narrowed to evaluative feelings about the three time periods. The present study included four waves of data gathered in the United Kingdom, and focused on time attitudes. Participants were adolescents in High schools who completed both the Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory-Time Attitudes Scale, at waves one to three (corresponding to High school years 1 to 3), and surveys of heavy episodic drinking (HED) and drunkenness at wave four (year 4 of High school). Four time attitudes profiles were identified (Positives, Negatives, Negative Futures, and Ambivalents), and the majority of adolescents (75.2%) transitioned between profiles at least once during the three waves of data collection. Fully adjusted analyses tentatively supported the relationship between having a positive time attitudes profile and reduced levels of HED, frequency of lifetime drunkenness, and age of first of drunkenness, with small to moderate effect sizes. Results suggested that the development and maintenance of a positive time attitudes profile might be protective against problematic drinking behaviour in adolescence. Consistent with related studies, it is clear that some time attitudes profiles are associated with less risky and healthier alcohol use behaviours than others, which has implications for possible intervention for problematic drinkers.