Future Time Perspective measurement among adolescents: adaptation and validation of a short Polish-language scale

Introduction and objective: The aim of the study was to develop a short, Polish-language tool for measuring future orientation in adolescents. Materials and methods: An anonymous online survey was carried out in 2024 in Poland’s Lubuskie Voivodeship among 8,950 students from three age groups (13-, 15-, and 17-year-olds). Respondents’ ages ranged from 12.25 to 19.25 years (M = 15.15; SD = 1.56), and 54.5% were girls. The questionnaire was based on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) protocol, supplemented with the future-orientation items of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory. Principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted on two independent half-samples. Results: The original 13-item future scale of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory did not form a single-factor model with good psychometric properties in the Polish sample. Five candidate five-item indices were identified; the best was based on items concerning goal-setting, planning the steps to reach one’s goals, and prioritising obligations. This model showed a clear single-factor structure (40.6% of variance explained), acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.633), and good fit (χ2/df = 2.302; RMSEA = 0.017, 90% CI 0.003–0.030; RFI, TLI, and CFI all >0.95). Its one minor limitation was a small difference in fit between boys and girls. Conclusions: The resulting short index enables efficient data collection in cross-sectional and longitudinal research on the social and health consequences of a future-oriented time perspective in adolescents.