When Time Stands Still: Age Differences in Temporal Disintegration During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Teagan McCune, Meghan Elliot, Kayley Estes, Alison Holman, Roxane Silver

TL;DR
This study found that older adults experienced less time distortion during the pandemic compared to younger people, possibly due to better emotional adaptation.
Contribution
The study reveals age-related differences in temporal disintegration during the pandemic and links these differences to emotional resilience in older adults.
Findings
Older adults reported less temporal disintegration compared to younger adults during the pandemic.
Higher temporal disintegration was associated with more negative life events and emotional distress, but this link was weaker in older adults.
Middle-aged adults showed similar emotional distress relationships as younger adults, unlike older adults.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic was globally disruptive and life-altering. During collective traumas like the pandemic, some individuals experience temporal disintegration (TD), defined as a distorted sense of the passage of time (e.g., speeding up, slowing down, stopping). Numerous studies have shown that TD is associated with psychological distress following trauma exposure. While research on age differences in TD is limited, some studies suggest older people may experience less TD. The current study explored self-reported TD over the first two years of the pandemic among a nationally representative U.S. sample of adults (ages 18-97) who completed two online surveys (Sept-Oct 2020, N = 5,654; Nov 2021, N = 4,856). Weighted linear regressions assessed associations between TD, negative life events, emotional distress, and age groups. Both middle-aged and older adults experienced less TD compared…
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Taxonomy
TopicsPsychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Neuroscience and Music Perception
