The latent profiles of time attitudes and positive emotional adjustment in secondary vocational students

Time attitude, as an affective dimension of time perspective, is significantly related to adolescents’ adaptive and nonadaptive functioning. This study explored the types of time attitudes among Chinese secondary vocational students and examined the relationship between distinct time attitude profiles and positive emotional adjustment. A total of 2,232 secondary vocational students (Mage = 16.35, SD = 0.95; 42.0% female) participated in the study. Latent profile analysis was conducted using the Adolescent Time Attitude Scale, with positive emotional adjustment indicators analyzed as distal outcomes. The analysis revealed four time attitude profiles: Negatives, Moderate Negatives, Positives, and Moderate Positives. The Positives profile exhibited the highest levels of life satisfaction, self-esteem, and positive affect, whereas the Negatives profile demonstrated the lowest levels of these variables. Despite its limitations, this study aligns with prior research, extends the theoretical framework of time attitudes, and provides empirical evidence for understanding psychological adjustment among secondary vocational students.