Associations between psychological distress and alcohol outcomes as mediated by time perspective orientation among college students

The present study examined time perspective orientation as an underlying factor in explaining the associations between psychological health and alcohol use outcomes. Participants were 250 college students (182 women) from a mid-size public university. Participants completed measures of time perspective orientation, alcohol consumption and problems, and psychological symptomatology. Mediational analyses revealed that past-negative time perspective acted as an underlying mechanism in the relationships between all psychological symptoms variables (e.g. anxiety, depression) and alcohol-related problems. Our findings indicate that having a pessimistic view of one's past may help explain the positive relationship between poorer mental health symptoms and alcohol-related problems. Intervention strategies could be developed to focus more specifically on time perspective in this population.