This paper aimed to investigate the contribution of perceived life and social changes, along with self-assessed support by family and friends in prediction of productive time orientation as a positive conception and evaluation of past and future and continuity between them.
Three measures were administered on a sample consisted of 340 participants (female=234) at various age to assess study variables. The data were collected during the winter, 2024.
It was expected that social support by family and social support by friends will be the strongest predictors of productive time orientation, followed by perceived quantitative and qualitative life changes, while self-evaluated level as well as quality of social changes was proposed to be less powerful predictors of criterion variable.
Hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed that, after controlling for participants' age and sex, the quantity of life changes negatively and the quality of life changes positively and significantly predicted productive time orientation (β= -.14, p<.01 and β= .23, p<.001, respectively), explaining 11% of its variability (F(2, 333)=21.66, p<.001). Level and quality of social changes as evaluated by the study participants, accounted for 5% of the variance of productive time orientation (F(2, 335)=8.69, p<.001), but their individual contribution in predicting criterion variable was not statistically significant. As found, stronger productive time orientation was predicted by highly assessed family support (β= .31, p<.001), as well as by highly rated friends support (β= .21, p<.001). Perceived social support accounted for 15% in the variance of criterion variable (F(2, 331)=36.73, p<.001).
The results will be discussed in line with the existing theoretical and empirical findings/knowledge. In addition, recommendations for future research and practical implications of the study findings, particularly in the field of psychological well-being, will be presented.