Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Is Time Perspective a Predictor of Anxiety and Perceived Stress? Some Preliminary Results from Greece

  • Research in Progress
  • Published:
Psychological Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the current studies, we explore the relationship between anxiety / perceived stress and time perspectives. Study 1 tested the relationship between the dimensions of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) and anxiety in a male sample. Study 2 examined the relationship between time perspectives and perceived stress in a sample of students. Both studies considered the Deviation of the Balanced Time Perspective (DBTP). In Study 1 psychiatrists of the Mental Health Centre of the Armed Forces in Athens diagnosed generalised anxiety in a number of male participants of the overall sample (n = 204). All participants completed a validated Greek translation of the ZTPI. In Study 2 a sample of students (n = 71) of Panteion University completed the Greek translations of the ZTPI and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14 items). In Study 1 a negative correlation between Future orientation and anxiety was found. The DBTP was higher in persons with anxiety. In Study 2 the Past Negative and Present Fatalistic orientations correlated with high-perceived stress as assumed. Furthermore, high-perceived stress was associated with a higher DBTP. The ZTPI is particularly important for the explanation of perceived stress. DBTP, Past Negative and Present Fatalistic perspectives are important factors of influence. The measurement of anxiety should be re-examined.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. “According to Zimbardo and Boyd (2008), Stolarski et al. (2011) and Zhang et al. (2013) defined optimal scores as 1.95 (PN), 4.6 (PP), 1.5 (PF), 3.9 (PH) and 4 (F)” (Vowinckel 2012, p.13).

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-V). Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anagnostopoulos, F., & Griva, F. (2012). Exploring time perspective in Greek young adults: validation of the zimbardo time perspective inventory and relationships with mental health indicators. Journal of Social Indication Research, 106, 41–59. doi:10.1007/s11205-011-9792-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreou, E., Alexopoulos, E.C., Lionis, C., Varvogli, L., Gnardellis, C., Chrousos, G.P., & Darviri, C. (2011). Perceived stress scale: reliability and validity study in Greece. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 8(8), 3287–3298. doi:10.3390/ijerph8083287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andretta, J.R., Worrel, F.C., & Mello, Z.R. (2014). Psychology in the Schools, 51, 434–451. doi:10.1002/pits.21762.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Apostolidis, T., Fieulaine, N., Simonin, L., & Rolland, G. (2006). Cannabis use, time perspective and risk perception: evidence of a moderating effect. Psychology and Health, 25, 571–592. Retrieved from https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00408109.

  • Åström, E., Wiberg, B., Sircova, A., Wiberg, M., & Carelli, M.G. (2014). Insights into features of anxiety through multiple aspects of psychological time. Journal of Integrative Psychology and Therapeutics, 2(3). doi:10.7243/2054-4723-2-3.

  • Bardeen, J.R., Fergus, T.A., & Orcutt, H.K. (2013). Experiential avoidance as a moderator of the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and perceived stress. Behavior Therapy, 44(3), 459–469. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2013.04.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bolotova, K.A., & Hachaturova, R.M. (2013). The role of time perspective in coping behaviour. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 6(3), 120–131. doi:10.11621/pir.2013.0311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boniwell, I., & Zimbardo, P.G. (2003). Time to find the right balance. The Psychologist, 16(3), 129–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boniwell, I., Osin, E., Linley, P.A., & Ivanchenko, G.V. (2010). A question of balance: time perspective and well-being in British and Russian samples. Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(1), 24–40. doi:10.1080/17439760903271181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, J.N., & Zimbardo, P.G. (2005). Time perspective, health, and risk taking. In A. Strathman & J. Joireman (Eds.), Understanding behaviour in the context of time: Theory, research, and application (pp. 85–107). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buhl, M., & Lindner, D. (2009). Time perspectives in adolescence: measurement, profiles, and links with personality characteristics and scholastic experience. Diskurs Kindheits- und Jungendforschung, 2, 197–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carelli, M.G., Wiberg, B., & Åström, E. (2015). Broadening the TP profile: future negative time perspective. In M. Stolarski, N. Fieulaine, & W. van Beek (Eds.), Time perspective theory; review, research and application – essays in honor of Philip G. Zimbardo (pp. 87–97). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R.A. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385–396. Retrieved from http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~scohen/globalmeas83.pdf.

  • Costa, P.T., Jr., & McRae, R.R. (1992). Revised NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO five-factor inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Odessa: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • D’Alessio, M., Guarino, A., De Pascalis, V., & Zimbardo, P.G. (2003). Testing Zimbardo’s Stanford time perspective inventory (ZPTI): short form. Time & Society, 12(2), 333–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drake, L., Duncan, E., Sutherland, F., Abernethy, C., & Henry, C. (2008). Time perspective and correlates of wellbeing. Time & Society, 17(1), 47–61. doi:10.1177/0961463X07086304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epel, E.S., Bandura, A., & Zimbardo, P.G. (1999). Escaping homelessness: the influences of self-efficacy and time perspective on coping with homelessness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 29(3), 575–596. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1999. tb01402.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans-Martin, F. F. (2007). Emotion and stress. New York: Chelsea House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, A., & Zimbardo, P.G. (1985). Time in perspective: a psychology today survey report. Psychology Today, 21–26.

  • Griffin, E., & Wildbur, D. (2013). Effects of time-perspective on the well-being, success and mental health of undergraduate students. Working Paper. De Montfort University Leicester.

  • Gupta, R., & Gaur, J. (2011). Time perspective’s role in stress levels: Empirical evidence. Great Lakes Herald, 5(1), 59–75. Retrieved from http://www.greatlakes .edu.in/pdf/Herald/Vol5/Article-5.pdf.

  • Holi, M. (2003). Assessment of psychiatric symptoms using the SCL-90. Dissertation, University of Helsinki.

  • Holman, E.A., & Zimbardo, P.G. (1999). The time of our lives: Time perspective and social relations in young adulthood. Unpublished manuscript, Stanford University.

  • Horowitz, M.J., Wilner, N., & Alvarez, W. (1979). Impact of event scale: a measure of subjective distress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 41, 209–218.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Irle, M. (1978). Fluglärm als Stressor (Aviation noise as stressor). In M. Irle, (Ed.), Kursus der Sozialpsychologie Teil III: Angewandte sozialpsychologische Forschung und ethische Probleme der Anwendung (Cursus of social psychology, part III: Applied research of social psychology and ethical problems of application) (pp. 541–578). Darmstadt and Neuwied.

  • Keough, K.A., Zimbardo, P.G., & Boyd, J.N. (1999). Who’s smoking, drinking, and using drugs? Time perspective as a predictor of substance use. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 21, 149–164. doi:10.1207/S15324834BA210207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lennings, C., Burns, A.M., & Cooney, G. (1998). Profiles of time perspective and personality: developmental considerations. The Journal of Psychology, 132(1), 629–637. doi:10.1080/00223989809599294.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin, K. (1942). Time perspective and morale. In G. Watson (Ed.), Civilian morale: Second yearbook of the society for the psychological study of social issues (pp. 48–70). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • MacLeod, A.K., & Byrne, A. (1996). Anxiety, depression and the anticipation of future positive and negative experiences. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105(2), 286–289. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.105.2.286.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mischel, W., Ebbesen, E.B., & Zeiss, A.R. (1972). Cognitive and attentional mechanisms in delay of gratification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 21(2), 204–218. doi:10.1037/h0032198.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, A.C., & Surrette, M.A. (2004). The interrelationship among stress, anxiety, and depression in law enforcement personnel. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 19(1), 36–44. doi:10.1007/BF02802573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oyanadel, C., & Buela-Casal, G. (2014). Time perception and psychopathology: influence of time perspective on quality of life of severe mental illness. Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría, 42(3), 99–107.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peacock, E.J., & Wong, P.T.P. (1990). The stress appraisal measure (SAM): a multidimensional approach to cognitive appraisal. Stress Medicine, 6, 227–236. doi:10.1002/smi.2460060308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Psychotropic Writing Group. (2008). Therapeutic guidelines: Psychotropic. Version 6, updated march 2009 [eTG complete CD-ROM]. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sircova, A., van de Vijver, F.J.R., Osin, E., Milfont, T.L., Fieulaine, N., Kislali-Erginbilgic, A., … Boyd, J.N. (2014). A global look at time. A 24-country study of the equivalence of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory. Sage Open, 4(1), 1–12. doi:10.1177/ 215824 401351 5686.

  • Sircova, A., van de Vijver, F.J.R., Osin, E., Milfont, T.L., Fieulaine, N., Kislali-Erginbilgic, A., Zimbardo, P.G., & and 54 members of the International Time Perspective Research Project. (2015). Time perspective profiles of cultures. In N. Fieulaine, M. Stolarski, & W. van Beek (Eds.), Time perspective theory: Review, research and application - essays in honor of Philip Zimbardo (pp. 169–187). New York: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-07368-2_11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirois, F. M. (2014). Out of sight, out of time? A meta-analytic of procrastination and time perspective. European Journal of Personality, 28(5), 511–520. doi:10.1002/ per.1947.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D. (1989). State-trait anxiety inventory: Bibliography (2nd ed.). Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stolarski, M., Bitner, J., & Zimbardo, P.G. (2011). Time perspective, emotional intelligence and discounting of delayed awards. Time & Society, 20(3), 346–363. doi:10.1177/0961463X11414296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stolarski, M., Matthews, G., Postek, S., Zimbardo, P.G., & Bitner, J. (2013). How we feel is a matter of time: relationships between time perspectives and mood. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(4), 809–827. doi:10.1007/s10902-013-9450-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strathman, A., Gleicher, F., Boninger, D.S., & Edwards, C.S. (1994). The consideration of future consequences: weighing immediate and distant outcomes of behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66(4), 742–752. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.66.4.742.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sword, R.M., Sword, R.K.M., Brunskill, S.R., & Zimbardo, P.G. (2014). Time perspective therapy: a new time-based metaphor therapy for PTSD. Journal of Loss and Trauma, International Perspectives on Stress & Coping, 19(3), 197–201. doi:10.1080/15325024.2013.763632.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Beek, W., Berguis, H., Kerkhof, A., & Beekman, A. (2010). Time perspective, personality and psychopathology: Zimbardo’s time perspective inventory in psychiatry. Time and Society, 20(3), 364–374. doi:10.1177/0961463X10373960.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verheul, R., Andrea, H., Berghout, C., Dolan, C.C., Busschbach, J.J.V., van der Kroft, P.J.A., Bateman, A. W., & Fonagy, P. (2008). Severity indices of personality problems (SIPP-118): development, factor structure, reliability and validity. Psychological Assessment, 20(1), 23–34. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.20.1.23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vowinckel, J. (2012). Balanced time perspectives and mindfulness (pp. 1–35). Sciences: University of Twente. Faculty of Behavioral.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, M.M., Guthrie, L.C., & Butler, S.C. (2009). Time perspective and socioeconomic status: a link to socioeconomic disparities in health? Social Science & Medicine, 68(12), 2145–2151. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.04.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wills, T.A., Sandy, J.M., & Yaeger, A.M. (2001). Time perspective and early-onset substance use: a model based on stress–coping theory. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15(2), 118–125. doi:10.1037/0893-164X.15.2.118.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, G.T., Nathan, P.N., O’Leary, K.D., & Clark, L.A. (1996). Abnormal psychology: integrating perspectives. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon.

  • Zhang, J.W., Howell, R.T., & Stolarski, M. (2013). Comparing three methods to measure a balanced time perspective: the relationship between a balanced time perspective and subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(1), 169–184. doi:10.1007/s 10902-012-9322-x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimbardo, P.G., & Boyd, J.N. (1999). Putting time in perspective. A valid, reliable, individual-differences metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1271–1288. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.77.6.1271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimbardo, P.G., & Boyd, J.N. (2008). The time paradox: The new psychology of time that will change your life. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimbardo, P.G., Keough, K.A., & Boyd, J.N. (1997). Present time perspective as a predictor of risky driving. Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 1007–1023. doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(97)00113-X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimbardo, P.G., Sword, R.M., & Sword, R.K.M. (2012). The time cure: Overcoming PTSD with the new psychology of time perspective therapy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Effi Lambropoulou of the Panteion University of Athens (Department of Social Sciences) for her valuable support in enabling and organizing data-collection at her institution.

Funding Sources

No financial support was received for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen, Ernst-Boehe-Str. 4, 67059, Ludwigshafen, Germany

    Julie Papastamatelou & Alexander Unger

  2. 414 Military Hospital (Psychiatric Clinic), Taksiarxou Veliou 6, 15236, Palaia Penteli, Athens, Greece

    Orestis Giotakos

  3. Mental Health Joint Centre of the Armed Forces, Taksiarxou Veliou 6, 15236, Palaia Penteli, Athens, Greece

    Fotini Athanasiadou

Authors
  1. Julie Papastamatelou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alexander Unger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Orestis Giotakos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fotini Athanasiadou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julie Papastamatelou.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethics

Ethical standards were given by the approval of the institutional review boards of the Mental Health Centre of the Armed Forces in Athens and Panteion University, Athens, Greece. All participants were informed about the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Papastamatelou, J., Unger, A., Giotakos, O. et al. Is Time Perspective a Predictor of Anxiety and Perceived Stress? Some Preliminary Results from Greece. Psychol Stud 60, 468–477 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-015-0342-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-015-0342-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation