“The normal flow of time stopped with the normal flow of life”: A mixed methods investigation of multifaceted subjective experiences of time during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

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dc.contributor.authorYoung, Anna Navin
dc.contributor.authorDi Blasi, Zelda
dc.contributor.authorvan Zyl, Llewellyn
dc.contributor.authorFoley, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorHunt, Eithne
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-09T09:31:02Z
dc.date.available2026-09-09T09:31:02Z
dc.date.issued2026-07-22
dc.description.abstractThe COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to daily life which impacted how people used and experienced time. This study employed a mixed-method, person-centered approach to investigate people's subjective experiences of time during the first year of the pandemic. Specifically, it aimed to investigate experiences of time as multifaceted, measuring the pandemic's impact on people's perceptions of routine changes, passage of time, and quantity of time. Further, the study explored participants’ descriptions of their temporal experiences. Data were collected from an online survey of 272 participants (Mage = 27.74, SD = 11.95) in Spring 2021. A latent class analysis identified two distinct classes: Varied Time Changes and Minimal Perceived Changes. Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) of open-ended survey responses revealed that those in the Varied Time Changes group described feelings of disorientation, lack of temporal structure, and an inability to use time meaningfully, while Minimal Perceived Changes participants focused on themes of accepting change as normal, maintaining routines, and savoring the present moment. Notably, the Minimal Perceived Changes group was significantly older (M = 37.86, SD = 14.28) than Varied Time Changes (M = 26.89, SD = 11.36). This study contributes to understanding the complexity of temporal experiences under prolonged uncertainty, highlighting the importance of personal context in shaping one's response to broad social disruptions.en
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.extent33
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.authororcidYoung, Anna Navin
dc.identifier.authororcidDi Blasi, Zelda§0000-0001-8950-4958
dc.identifier.authororcidvan Zyl, Llewellyn
dc.identifier.authororcidFoley, Sarah§0000-0003-3450-148X
dc.identifier.authororcidHunt, Eithne§0000-0001-8763-0408
dc.identifier.citationYoung, A N, Di Blasi, Z, van Zyl, L, Foley, S & Hunt, E 2026, '“The normal flow of time stopped with the normal flow of life”: A mixed methods investigation of multifaceted subjective experiences of time during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic', Time and Society, pp. 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X261468085
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/0961463X261468085
dc.identifier.endpage33
dc.identifier.issn0961-463X
dc.identifier.journaltitleTime and Society
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-3450-148X/work/226276661
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0001-8950-4958/work/226277059
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0001-8763-0408/work/226277305
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19200
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSAGE Publications Ltd
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105046185161
dc.rights© 2026, the Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectCOVID-19 pandemic
dc.subjectLatent class analysis
dc.subjectMixed methods
dc.subjectReflexive thematic analysis
dc.subjectSubjective time
dc.subject[AppliedPsychology]
dc.subject[ClinicalTherapies]
dc.title“The normal flow of time stopped with the normal flow of life”: A mixed methods investigation of multifaceted subjective experiences of time during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemicen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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