Time in Adolescence. Validating Zimbardo’s Stanford Time Perspective Inventory using a sample of Italian adolescents

In this study we explore the psychometric characteristics of Zimbardo’s Stanford Time Perspective Inventory, using a statistically representative sample made up of 1517 Italian adolescents, aged 15-19 years. The results show marked differences with respect to preceding studies conducted in the United States and Italy. In particular, the scale of the present forms a single dimension, losing its subdivision into two distinct dimensions, hedonistic and fatalistic. The two scales presented in the factorial analysis, present and future, show a good degree of internal consistence and discriminating validity. The results will be interpreted according to the individual differences present in the sample and to the cultural and economic changes now occurring at this specific moment in history.