Ruth Sarah Ogden

Digital technologies (DT) are embedded in daily life, yet their impact and the experience of use vary across age groups and cultural contexts creating disparities in access, skills, and perceived benefits. This study examines how age moderates the relationship between the Quality of Digital Experience (QDE)—comprising the three dimensions of social connectedness, well-being, and time and efficiency—and Immersion in Digital Life (IDL) across six European countries. Drawing on data from 5,270 adults, moderation analyses revealed that all QDE dimensions significantly predict IDL, raising social connectedness as the strongest contributor. Age moderated these relationships differently across countries: younger adults generally showed stronger associations between QDE factors and IDL, particularly well-being, whereas in Czechia and Poland, older adults demonstrated higher levels of digital immersion. In sum, digital engagement is shaped by experiential quality, age, and cultural context rather than following a uniform generational division. These findings highlight the need for inclusive digital policies and interventions that promote digital well-being across the lifespan.

Background: Despite advances in technology and labour-saving devices, chronic time pressure, or the sense that you do not have enough time, is increasing globally. The implications of this for health and wellbeing are poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the impact of chronic time pressure on experiences of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in a European sample. Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed. A sample of 7,570 individuals, representative of the populations of the UK, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Czechia and Poland in terms of age and gender participated. Participants completed a questionnaire containing demographic questions, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 to measure symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress and the Chronic Time Pressure Inventory to measure feelings of harriedness and cognitive awareness of time shortage. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the predictive value of chronic time pressure on experiences of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Results: Chronic time pressure was a significant predictor of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in all countries studied, accounting for between 5 and 24% of the variance in depression, anxiety and stress scores. Two factors of chronic time pressure differentially predicted symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Whilst feeling harried was universally associated with increased scores for depression, anxiety and stress, cognitive awareness of time shortage was not consistently predictive of depression, anxiety and stress. Conclusions: Chronic time pressure is associated with reduced wellbeing. Feeling chronically harried is associated with increased experiences of the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. The results emphasize the need for governments, employers and healthcare providers to prioritise reducing time pressure as a mechanism of improving wellbeing.

Background: Commonly heard statements such as “Christmas comes around more quickly each year” suggest that the passage of time between annual events can become distorted, leading to the sensation of time passing more quickly than normal. At present however, it is unclear how prevalent such beliefs are and, what factors are predictive of it. Aim: To explore the prevalence of beliefs that annual events such as Christmas (Study 1 UK sample) and Ramadan (Study 2 Iraqi sample) feel like they come around more quickly each year. To establish the association between distortions to the passage of time between annual events and emotional wellbeing, event specific enjoyment, memory function and self-reported attention to time. Methods: Participants completed an online questionnaire exploring their subjective experience of time in relation to Christmas and Ramadan. In addition, measures of attention to time, memory function, quality of life and event specific emotion were also taken. Findings: There was widespread agreement that Christmas and Ramadan appeared to come around more quickly each year. In both countries, this belief was associated with greater prospective memory errors, greater attention to time and greater enjoyment of the event. Furthermore, in the UK greater belief that Christmas comes around more quickly was associated with lower social quality of life and in Iraq, greater belief that Ramadan comes around more quickly each year was associated with lower age and female gender. Conclusions: Distortions to the passage of time for annual events are widespread, occur across multiple cultures and are consistently predicted by prospective function, event enjoyment and attention to time. The absence of an association between older age (above 55 years) and a faster passage of time suggests that caution should be taken when concluding that time passes more quickly with increasing age.

Background: A core aspect of the clinical assessment of pain is establishing how long pain has been present for. The reported length of pain can therefore influence diagnosis and treatment. Despite this, little is known about how chronic pain affects the passage of time.Methods: A mixed‐methods cross‐sectional study examined experiences of the passage of time in people identifying as living with chronic pain (n = 398).Results: Experiencing chronic pain slows the passage of time for most people. Greater pain intensity, rumination about pain, helplessness and identifying as disabled were associated with a greater slowing of the passage of time. Thematic analysis of responses to open‐ended questions suggested that a slowing of time during pain was associated with (1) pain intrusion preventing activities which would otherwise enable time to pass quickly, (2) increased attention to time and (3) as sense that in retrospect, time throughout life was ‘lost’ to chronic pain.Conclusion: Chronic pain causes widespread distortion to the passage of time. The slowing of time during pain means that periods of pain feel subjectively longer than periods without, exacerbating patient distress.Significance: This study examined how chronic pain impacts on the experience of time. Chronic pain substantially slowed the passage of time for most people, subjectively lengthening the period of time that pain lasted for, exacerbating distress. Given the importance of time processing in clinical assessments of pain, medication adherence and therapeutic interventions, these findings underscore the importance of raising awareness about altered temporal processing in patients and clinicians.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy poses a significant risk to global recovery from COVID-19. To date however, there is little research exploring the psychological factors associated with vaccine acceptability and hesitancy in Iraq. Aim: To explore attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in Iraq. To establish the predictors of vaccine uptake and vaccine hesitancy in an Iraqi population. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 7,778 participants completed an online questionnaire exploring their vaccination status, likelihood of infection, perceived severity infection, benefits of vaccine, barriers to vaccine, anticipated regret, subjective norms, and trust in government. Findings: Vaccination rates increased with age and were greater in males, those who were married, divorced or widowed, those with children and those with underlying conditions. Vaccine hesitancy was widespread with 61.40% of unvaccinated individuals reported an unwillingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. In unvaccinated groups, vaccine hesitancy was associated with lower trust in the government, more negative social norms, greater perceived barriers to vaccination and reduced perceived benefits. Conclusions: There is significant COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Iraq. Public health institutions should be aware of the influence of demographic factors, as well as personal beliefs and social norms, on individuals’ decisions to vaccinate. Public health messaging should therefore aim to be tailored to address the concerns of citizens.

Our sense of time is fallible, often resulting in the sensation of time flying by quickly or dragging slowly. It has been suggested that changes in sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity may influence the perceived passage of time, however this proposition has never been tested during real-world temporal experience. The current study directly tested the relationship between the passage of time and SNS–PNS activity in the real-world. Sixty-seven participants completed a normal day’s activities whilst wearing sensors to capture electrocardiography (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA) and movement. They also provided hourly rating of the subjective speed at which time was passing. Results revealed that greater SNS activity (e.g., increased heart rate, frequency of phasic skin conductance response) was associated with time passing more quickly. PNS activity was not related to time experience. Whilst the findings support previous suggestions that changes in physiological arousal are associated with distortions to the passage of time, the effects are small and other factors are likely to contribute to real-world temporal experience.

The covid-19 global pandemic has significantly impacted on the daily lives of people across the world. One consequence of this has been significant distortion to the speed at which time feels like it is passing during day-to-day life in comparison with prior to the pandemic. The current study sought to further understanding of the impact of the pandemic on temporal experience by exploring individual differences in the subjective length of the first 12 months of the pandemic in the UK. Using an online questionnaire, subjective judgments of the perceived length of the preceding 12 months were taken. In addition, measures of affect, task load and satisfaction with current levels of social interaction, physical activity, conformity with regulations, perceived covid risk and shielding status were taken. The results showed that only 9% of participants reported that the preceding 12 months felt like 12 months. The majority of participants (57%) reported that it felt like the pandemic had lasted for longer than 12 months, and this feeling was stronger for those who indicated greater levels of depression and anxiety, reduced physical activity, reduced satisfaction with social interaction and being advised to shield.

The covid-19 global pandemic has influenced the day-to-day lives of people across the world. One consequence of this has been significant distortion to the subjective speed at which people feel like time is passing. To date, temporal distortions during covid-19 have mainly been studied in Europe. The current study therefore sought to explore experiences of the passage of time in Iraq. An online questionnaire was used to explore the passage of time during the day, week and the 11 months since the first period of covid-19 restrictions were imposed in Iraq. The questionnaire also measured affective and demographic factors, and task-load. The results showed that distortions to the passage of time were widespread in Iraq. Participants consistently reported a slowing of the passage of time for the day and the week during the pandemic in comparison to normal (i.e. before the pandemic). Participants also reported that it felt like longer than 11-months since the first lockdown began. The passage of time during the day and week were not predicted by any demographic, affective or task-load measures taken in the study. The perceived length of time since the first lockdown was however predicted by stress and change of life due to covid, with greater stress and greater change of life being associated with greater subjective lengthening of the pandemic. The findings indicate that whilst distortions to the passage of time during covid-19 appear to be a global phenomenon, the factors which predict temporal experience during the pandemic differ between countries and cultures.