Deviation from a Balanced Time Perspective among Older Adults  in Relation to Global Cognitive Functioning

Sammanfattning: The present paper is based on Zimbardo and  Boyd’s (1999) Time Perspective (TP) theory, and is concerned with the relationship between global cognitive functioning and deviations from balanced time perspective (DBTP) in a sample of older adults. The study investigated wheather Present Fatalistic (PF) sub-scale of the Swedish-Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (S-ZTPI, Carelli et al., 2011) is the driving force behind the higher deviation from Balanced Time Perspective (BTP) and how it relates to cognitive decline (Rönnlund et al., 2017). Towards this end, a group of 24 older adults with low scores on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (≤ 24; Folstein and McHugh, 1975) was compared  with an age, sex, and education-matched group of participants scoring in the normal range. The results confirmed that the low-MMSE group exhibited a higher mean DBTP score than the normal group and showed that this was mainly attributable to high scores on PF. No group difference was observed on a measure of depression, enforcing the conclusion that the difference was not due to a difference in mood state. Results of DBTP and PF relations in later years may relate to loss of control as cognitive functions decline and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness increases. Further research could be conducted on bigger sample size and include longitudinal studies to investigate the change of balance in relation to PF sub-scale, cognition and age.