Thinking about time: The mediating role of time perspective in the relation between self-efficacy beliefs and (mal) adjustment

How individuals think about time—whether through a focus on the past, present, or future—profoundly influences their decision-making, behavior, and psychological well-being. However, youths' beliefs in their capabilities to successfully influence the course of events —referred to as self-efficacy—may play a pivotal role in shaping these temporal perspectives. The present study examines how domain-specific self-efficacy beliefs—namely, self-efficacy in self-regulated learning (SE-SRL) and regulatory emotional self-efficacy (RESE)—relate to both adaptive (academic achievement) and maladaptive (internalizing and externalizing problems) outcomes through the mediating role of time perspectives. Data were collected from 477 Italian university students (69.6 % women; M age = 20.49, SD = 2.11) through an online survey. Structural equation modeling revealed a differentiated pattern of mediation: future time perspective emerged as the key mediator in the relation between SE-SRL and academic achievement, while past-negative and present-fatalistic dimensions played a more prominent mediating role in the association between RESE and internalizing and externalizing problems. These patterns were invariant across gender. Overall, results underscored the interconnectedness of perceived self-efficacy beliefs and time perspectives in fostering university students' academic success and adjustment. Implications for the findings are discussed. • Perceived self-efficacy and time perspective are key drivers of behavior. • Future time perspective is the key mediator for academic achievement. • Past-negative and present-fatalistic affect maladaptive outcomes.