Table 1 The six concepts of future thinking covered in the topic guide
Concepts | Description of the concepts | Example questions |
|---|---|---|
Capability | Whether young people can think about the future | ‘Are you able to think of images of a future self? Can you describe what it’s like?’ ‘Has there been a time when you don’t feel like you have a future or don’t want to think about the future?’ |
Content | What the future thinking involves, if they can think about the future | ‘When I say ‘the future’, what does it mean to you? What thoughts does it raise in your mind?’ ‘How do you think things are going to be in the future?’ |
Frequency | How often do they think about the future | ‘How often do you imagine your future self?’ ‘Has there been a time when you think more or less about your future?’ |
Structure | Whether the thinking is focused/fixated on a single event or a series of events | ‘Do you see a series of negative events?’ ‘Do you dwell on the same thing over and over again?’ |
Valence | Whether the content of their thinking is negative, positive, or neutral | ‘How do you feel about the future?’ ‘Do you look forward to your future? What are you hoping for? Are you worried about your future?’ ‘Has the way you feel towards the past/future changed? Have you become more optimistic/pessimistic about the future?’ |
Salience/vividness | How clear the details and images of that thinking are | ‘When you think about your future, do you think about concrete plans and specific situations?’ ‘When you think about your future, is it clear or quite blurry?’ |