Individual differences in time perspective, age, and smoking behavior: A test of two present versus future conceptualizations

Predicting Intentions to Vaccinate against COVID-19 and Seasonal Flu: The Role of Consideration of Future and Immediate Consequences

Understanding the social-psychological determinants of the public's perceptions and intentions related to vaccination is key to promoting vaccination. The current study examines how individual differences in consideration of future and immediate consequences (CFC-F and CFC-I) impact risk perceptions of, and intentions to vaccinate against, COVID-19 and seasonal flu. A survey of 395 adults on Amazon Mechanical Turk during April and May of 2020 showed that CFC-F predicted vaccination intentions, whereas CFC-I did not. Moreover, CFC-F and CFC-I positively predicted affective risk perceptions, perceived susceptibility, and perceived severity of both COVID-19 and seasonal flu. Last, both CFC constructs had a positive indirect effect on vaccination intentions of COVID-19 and seasonal flu through increasing perceived severity of the corresponding disease. This study makes theoretical contributions to the CFC literature and offers valuable insights for the design of effective vaccine promotion messages.

Time attitudes profile stability and transitions: An exploratory study of adolescent health behaviours among high school students

PURPOSE

Time attitudes refer to individuals' feelings about the past, present, and future, and an increasing number of cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that positive time attitudes are significantly related to better health and well-being. We investigated time attitude profile membership and associated transitions longitudinally in United Kingdom-based adolescents, and assessed the relationship between time attitude profile development on health behaviours at + 21 months after the data collection involving time attitudes.

METHODS

Participants were high school students (N = 1306; 41.8% female, Mage 12.5-14.5 years [waves 1-3]). The Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory - Time Attitudes Scale was employed to identify profiles, and a mover-stayer latent transition analysis was employed to examine developmental changes. Data were also gathered on sensation seeking, and a range of health indicators were assessed: Past week frequency of physical exercise, self-rated health, subjective life expectancy, lifetime cannabis and smoking, and dental attendance.

RESULTS

Staying in a positive time attitude profile was related to higher subjective life expectancy, and less frequent use of cannabis and cigarettes (1.00 ≤ d ≤ 4.00). Further, moving to a positive profile predicted healthier outcomes for most health measures used.

CONCLUSIONS

Notwithstanding the limitation that health outcomes in the present study were distal, the present study bolstered a developing cross-sectional literature supporting the association between positive time attitudes and better health and well-being outcomes. Future longitudinal studies which assess measures concurrently are required.