Time perspective has been viewed as having important but subtle effects on cognition, mood and behavior. Previous research has suggested that the dimensions of extension and temporal attitude may be important as regards predicting suicide ideation or attempts. The manner in which people construct their future may have important ramifications for beliefs about the importance of life. Temporal attitude, of all the dimensions of time perspective, appears to be most important in this regard. Other research has suggested that both depression, and, to a lesser extent, impulsivity may also be important predictor variables for suicide ideation. In this study 238 university students and 159 senior high school students were assessed on a variety of temporal and personality measures. It was found that temporal extension, temporal attitude and impulsivity had comparatively little effect on suicide ideation after the effects of mood disturbance were controlled. However, negative temporal attitudes appeared to have significant impact on suicide ideation when depression was ignored and a highly significant impact on mood disturbance, suggesting that its relevance for the prediction of suicide is primarily through its effect on depression.
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