Time perspective and risky behaviour

Abstract

Literature review Abstract Background: Drug use is a problem that has a significant health impact on individuals and financial impact on society. Time perspective, the extent to which individuals focus on the past, present, and future, has been shown to have a significant impact on health-harming and health-protecting behaviour. Objectives: The main aim of the present review was to investigate the relationship between time perspective and drug use. It aimed to investigate which time perspectives, past, present, and future, are associated with increased or decreased drug use. It also aimed to investigate the relationship between time perspective and the way that people think about drugs and drug use (drug use cognitions). Methods: A systematic search strategy was used to identify all the available empirical research that has investigated the relationship between time perspective, as measured by the Stanford time perspective inventory or the Zimbardo time perspective inventory, and drug use. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria for review. Results: Results suggest that individuals with higher future time perspective are less likely to use illicit drugs. They are also likely to hold negative attitudes towards drug use. Individuals with higher present time perspective are more likely to use drugs, and to use them more frequently and in greater quantities. They are also more likely to hold positive views about drug use. Conclusions: There is emerging evidence to suggest that increased future time perspective is protective against drug use while increased present time perspective represents a risk factor for drug use. Empirical paper Abstract Research suggests that time perspective, the extent to which individuals focus on the past, present, and future, might play a significant role in predicting aggression. However, research in this area has typically conceptualised and measured aggression as a unitary construct. No research has, to date, considered the relationship between time perspective and clinically important subtypes of aggression: reactive-proactive and impulsive-premeditated . The present study examined whether reporting an increased deviation from a balanced time perspective, reflecting the extent to which individuals can cognitively switch between past, present and future time perspectives, predicts increased reactive and proactive aggression, and impulsive and premeditated aggression. A sample of 389 adults completed measures of aggression, time perspective and emotion regulation. As expected, proactive and premeditated aggression, which are characterised by the planned use of aggression, were not associated with an increased deviation from a balanced time perspective, suggesting that these subtypes of aggression are not associated with difficulty switching between past, present and future time perspectives. Reactive and impulsive aggression, which are characterised by unplanned, impulsive aggressive outbursts, were found to be associated with an increased deviation from a balanced time perspective, suggesting that these aggressive subtypes are associated with increased difficulties switching between time perspectives. Contrary to expectations, however, an increased deviation from a balanced time perspective was not clinically predictive of increased reactive or impulsive aggression when controlling for a range of emotion regulation abilities. Clinical implications and areas for future research are discussed in relation to the study findings.