Institutionalized older adults and their future orientation.

This study hypothesized: 1) that as the duration of institutional living increases, the future orientation of active older adults contracts; and 2) that this constriction in future temporal orientation means less opportunity for interaction in the institutional environment. To test the first hypothesis, 100 active female residents in six institutions for the aged were evaluated regarding future orientation, by means of Cottle's Experiential Inventory. The opportunity for interaction was measured by Pincus's Psychosocial Dimensions in the Institutional Environment. The findings indicated that, irrespective of age, the residents became less future-oriented or their orientation became less recent, as the length of institutional residence increased. The second hypothesis was not supported; in fact, the reverse was true.