Time perspective and psychological well-being in old age

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of time perspective on psychological well-being of old people, that is acknowledge as a central dimension of positive ageing. A sample of 126 old people (M age = 73.09 years, SD = 7.44; 83 females and 38 males) has participated and has filled in the S-ZTPI (Carelli, Wiberg & Wiberg, 2011) and the PWB Questionnaire (Ryff, 1989). Old people with high school education possess lower level of future negative. Past negative and present fatalistic are negatively correlated with all dimensions of psychological well-being, while future positive is positively correlated with all the dimensions of well-being, with the exception of positive relations with others. Past positive is positively correlated with self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and positive relations with others. A Multiple Regression Model evidenced that past negative, present fatalistic and future negative are negative predictors of overall psychological well-being, while past positive and present hedonistic positively predict overall psychological wellbeing, highlighting the complex relationship between well-being and time organization in old age. Results are discussed considering also the implications for interventions based on time perspective in this stage of life.