title: Future time perspective: opportunities and limitations are differentially associated with subjective well-being and hair cortisol concentration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Future time perspective has been associated with subjective well-being, though depending on the line of research considered either an open-ended future time perspective or a limited future time perspective has been associated with high well-being. Most of this research however has conceptualized future time perspective as a one-dimensional construct, whereas recent evidence has demonstrated that there are likely at least two different underlying dimensions, a focus on opportunities and a focus on limitations. This project first seeks to replicate the two-dimensional structure of the Future Time Perspective Scale, and then examines the associations these dimensions may have with different measures of subjective well-being and a biological index of chronic stress.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test if the two dimensions of the Future Time Perspective Scale, a focus on opportunities and a focus on limitations, differentially associate with two measures of subjective well-being and a biological indicator of chronic stress, namely hair cortisol.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six community-dwelling participants with a mean age of 72 years (SD = 5.83) completed the Future Time Perspective Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale. Participants also provided a 3-cm-long hair strand to index cortisol accumulation over the past 3 months. Following the results of a factor analysis, a mediation model was created for each dimension of the Future Time Perspective Scale, and significance testing was done through a bootstrapping approach to harness maximal statistical power.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factor analysis results replicated the two-dimensional structure of the Future Time Perspective Scale. Both dimensions were then found to have unique associations with well-being. Specifically, a high focus on opportunities was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and higher morale, whereas a low focus on limitations was associated with reduced hair cortisol, though this association was mediated by subjective well-being.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RESULTS replicate and extend previous research by pointing to the multi-dimensional nature of the Future Time Perspective Scale. While an open future time perspective was overall beneficial for well-being, the exact association each dimension had with well-being differed depending on whether subjective measures of well-being or biological indices of chronic stress were considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kozik
authors.forename: Christiane A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hoppmann
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gerstorf
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D013998:Time Perception / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone