Trepidation and Time: an Examination of Anxiety and Thoughts and Feelings about the Past, Present, and Future among Adolescents

We examined relationships between general and specific anxiety symptoms and time perspective among adolescents and how these relationships varied by gender. Time perspective was conceptualized as a multidimensional construct and assessed with the following dimensions: time frequency, time attitudes, time orientation, and time relation. Multiple regression analyses indicated that participants (N = 771; Mage = 15.82, SD = 1.23; 54% female) with more anxiety (a) felt less positively about the present; (b) felt more negatively about the past, the present, and the future; and (c) thought the past was more important than the present and the future. Findings for specific anxiety subtypes were generally similar. Interactions between time perspective and gender indicated that more frequent thoughts about the past and the future may be associated with greater anxiety, especially for females. Results highlight the temporal qualities of anxiety and provide support for time perspective as a potential factor for understanding and supporting adolescents with anxiety.