Gender, Socioeconomic Status, Cultural Differences, Education, Family Size and Procrastination: A Sociodemographic Meta-Analysis

Procrastination, depressive symptomatology, and loneliness in later life

OBJECTIVES

Procrastination is an almost universal behaviour and yet little research to date has focused on procrastination among older adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential association between age and procrastination, and the potential mediating roles of depressive symptomatology and loneliness.

METHOD

Structural equation modelling was applied to data from 1309 participants (aged 29-92) from two waves United States Health and Retirement Study (2016-2020). Within the model, sex, education, marital status, and job status were added as covariates.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant direct effect between age and procrastination (β = 0.06, p = 0.106). However, an indirect effect was present via depressive symptomatology (β = -0.40, p < 0.001). No mediating effect of loneliness was observed (β = - 0.01, p = 0.371). Subsequent analysis revealed that the symptoms, fatigue, loneliness, and lack of motivation significantly predicted procrastination.

CONCLUSION

While age was not directly associated with procrastination, increasing age was associated with a decreased likelihood of depressive symptomatology, which was in turn associated with an increased likelihood of procrastination. Such findings indicates that age demonstrates no association with procrastination because of the suppressing effect of depressive symptomatology.

Procrastination, depression and anxiety symptoms in university students: a three-wave longitudinal study on the mediating role of perceived stress

BACKGROUND

It is generally assumed that procrastination leads to negative consequences. However, evidence for negative consequences of procrastination is still limited and it is also unclear by which mechanisms they are mediated. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine the harmful consequences of procrastination on students' stress and mental health. We selected the procrastination-health model as our theoretical foundation and tried to evaluate the model's assumption that trait procrastination leads to (chronic) disease via (chronic) stress in a temporal perspective. We chose depression and anxiety symptoms as indicators for (chronic) disease and hypothesized that procrastination leads to perceived stress over time, that perceived stress leads to depression and anxiety symptoms over time, and that procrastination leads to depression and anxiety symptoms over time, mediated by perceived stress.

METHODS

To examine these relationships properly, we collected longitudinal data from 392 university students at three occasions over a one-year period and analyzed the data using autoregressive time-lagged panel models.

RESULTS

Procrastination did lead to depression and anxiety symptoms over time. However, perceived stress was not a mediator of this effect. Procrastination did not lead to perceived stress over time, nor did perceived stress lead to depression and anxiety symptoms over time.

CONCLUSIONS

We could not confirm that trait procrastination leads to (chronic) disease via (chronic) stress, as assumed in the procrastination-health model. Nonetheless, our study demonstrated that procrastination can have a detrimental effect on mental health. Further health outcomes and possible mediators should be explored in future studies.

Gender Differences in Procrastination and Subjective Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Students and Non-Students

This study aims to examine gender differences in the relationship between procrastination and subjective well-being in a sample of 1052 individuals. Including both students and non-students. The participants, 56.7% were women (Mean = 24.83, Standard Deviation = 6.01, range = 18-56) and 43.3% were men (Mean = 25.01, Standard Deviation = 6.91, range = 18-59), completed assessments covering procrastination, positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and structural equation modeling. The current findings suggest that men, compared with women, reported higher levels of procrastination, positive affect, and subjective well-being and lower levels of negative affect. The results suggest that procrastination has a greater impact on the subjective well-being of men, especially among non-student males. These findings contribute to the understanding of gender differences in the relationship between procrastination and subjective well-being, emphasizing the need for further research.

Are many sex/gender differences really power differences?

This research addresses the long-standing debate about the determinants of sex/gender differences. Evolutionary theorists trace many sex/gender differences back to natural selection and sex-specific adaptations. Sociocultural and biosocial theorists, in contrast, emphasize how societal roles and social power contribute to sex/gender differences beyond any biological distinctions. By connecting two empirical advances over the past two decades-6-fold increases in sex/gender difference meta-analyses and in experiments conducted on the psychological effects of power-the current research offers a novel empirical examination of whether power differences play an explanatory role in sex/gender differences. Our analyses assessed whether experimental manipulations of power and sex/gender differences produce similar psychological and behavioral effects. We first identified 59 findings from published experiments on power. We then conducted a P-curve of the experimental power literature and established that it contained evidential value. We next subsumed these effects of power into 11 broad categories and compared them to 102 similar meta-analytic sex/gender differences. We found that high-power individuals and men generally display higher agency, lower communion, more positive self-evaluations, and similar cognitive processes. Overall, 71% (72/102) of the sex/gender differences were consistent with the effects of experimental power differences, whereas only 8% (8/102) were opposite, representing a 9:1 ratio of consistent-to-inconsistent effects. We also tested for discriminant validity by analyzing whether power corresponds more strongly to sex/gender differences than extraversion: although extraversion correlates with power, it has different relationships with sex/gender differences. These results offer novel evidence that many sex/gender differences may be explained, in part, by power differences.

Spanish validation of the pure procrastination scale: dimensional structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, gender invariance, and relationships with personality and satisfaction with life

The objective of the current study was to adapt and validate the pure procrastination scale (PPS) for the Spanish adult population. Procrastination can have numerous consequences in daily life, making it essential to have reliable and valid instruments for measuring procrastination. Thus, this study was conducted to address this need. The sample consisted of 596 adults aged 18-83 years (M = 35.25, SD = 13.75). In addition to the PPS, participants completed two procrastination measures, namely the irrational procrastination scale and the decisional procrastination questionnaire, alongside the Big Five inventory and the satisfaction with life scale. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure of the PPS. The examination of the reliability of scores in terms of internal consistency and temporal stability showed satisfactory results for the PPS scores. Moreover, gender invariance was observed at the scalar level. Finally, the PPS scores correlated with other measures of procrastination, personality traits, and satisfaction with life in the expected direction and magnitude. In conclusion, the Spanish PPS offers valid and reliable scores when administered to adult population.

The chain mediating roles of anxiety and depression in the relationship between the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and procrastination in adolescents: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

The relationship between the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is a traumatic event for adolescents, and procrastination is not clear. Mental health may play an important role in this relationship; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. This study aimed to construct chain mediation models to examine whether anxiety and depression symptoms mediate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on procrastination in adolescents.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 12 middle and high schools in Harbin, China, with four follow-up online surveys was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 4,156 Chinese adolescents were enrolled in this study, of whom ages 11-18 (Mean = 13.55; SD = 1.18), 50.75% were male, and 93.24% were middle school students. Descriptive demographic analysis and Pearson's correlation analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (T1), anxiety(T2), depression (T3), and procrastination (T4) were performed in SPSS 22.0. Chain mediation analysis performed with Mplus 8.3.

RESULTS

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and procrastination were positively correlated (P < 0.01). The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have a direct link on adolescent procrastination (effect = 0.156; SE = 0.031; 95%CI: 0.092, 0.214), and have three indirect paths on procrastination: the independent mediating role of anxiety symptoms was 29.01% (effect = 0.047; SE = 0.012; 95%CI: 0.024, 0.072), the independent mediating role of depression symptoms was 29.01% (effect = 0.047; SE = 0.010; 95%CI: 0.030, 0.068), as well as the completely chain mediating role of anxiety and depression symptoms was 15.43% (effect = 0.025; SE = 0.005; 95%CI: 0.017, 0.036).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that anxiety and depressive symptoms are part of a causal chain between the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and procrastination among Chinese adolescents. To effectively reduce their procrastination, attention should be paid to the emotional distress caused to adolescents by major events such as the COVID-19 epidemic. All data were taken from self-reported measures and one city in China, which may bias the results and limit their generalizability.

The role of intergenerational support in shaping oral healthcare-seeking behavior among older adults in China

Background

This study aimed to explore how intergenerational support affects the oral healthcare or treatment-seeking behaviors of older Chinese adults and provide evidence for improving the oral health of the older adults in an aging society.

Methods

Data from a cross-sectional survey, the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, were used to explore the relationship between oral healthcare-seeking behavior in older adults and various independent variables, such as marital status, number of children, offspring's education duration, parent-offspring interaction frequency, and financial/material support provided by children. The chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used.

Results

According to the results of data analysis, age, sex, marital status, cohabitation status, number of children, children's education level, and financial support from children affected older adults' oral healthcare-seeking behavior. Interviewees living with a partner and those who had 1-2 or 3-4 children showed different likelihoods of seeking oral healthcare. Moreover, interviewees whose children had higher education duration and those who received more financial/material support from their children were more likely to seek dental treatment.

Conclusion

Regarding the study's outcome, financial and emotional support, as well as practical assistance from family members can significantly promote oral health-seeking behavior among older adult people. Intergenerational support can serve as a crucial mechanism for promoting oral health behaviors among the older adults or act as a valuable complement to social medical assistance, warranting increased attention.

Academic Procrastination in Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review

Academic procrastination is a persistent behavior in students' academic development consisting of postponing or delaying the completion of necessary tasks and having a deadline for completion, which is associated with detriment in performance, school dropout, and loss of student well-being. The largest body of existing knowledge on this behavior comes from studies conducted with university students, although it is necessary to deepen the findings obtained at lower educational levels. The aim of this work has been to carry out a scoping review of the empirical publications focused on academic procrastination in children and adolescents. The inclusion and exclusion criteria are detailed following the general guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute. However, some modifications are incorporated in the flowchart to guide the review sequence. The search was conducted in eleven thematic (ERIC, MedLine, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, PubPsych, and Teacher Reference Center) and multidisciplinary databases (Academic Search Ultimate, E-Journals, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science) to identify relevant publications up to 2022, including grey literature. Out of the initial 1185 records screened, a total of 79 records were selected. The search results included a total of 79 records. The most used assessment instruments, the most studied variables, and the type of design and sources of information used in the selected studies are detailed. Cultural aspects that open new lines of future research are identified.

The mediating role of general academic emotions in burnout and procrastination among Chinese medical undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Background

Academic procrastination has become more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic due to teaching/learning changes. This phenomenon induces academic burnout, which is already serious among medical students. However, the academic emotion, which is the factor most vulnerable to changes in the academic environment, is still unknown. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of general academic emotions in procrastination and burnout among Chinese medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

This cross-sectional study enrolled 995 medical students from China Medical University. We applied the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory Student Survey (MBI-SS), the Aitken Procrastination Inventory (API) and the General Academic Emotion Questionnaire for College Students (GAEQ) to evaluate the variables of interest. We examined the mediation effects of GAEs by hierarchical linear regression analysis.

Results

Correlation analyses showed a significant positive correlation between procrastination and burnout. Procrastination and burnout positively and negatively correlated with negative academic emotions, respectively. Hierarchical linear regression analyses showed that procrastination had positive associations with negative academic emotions, while it had negative associations with positive academic emotions. The contributions (as mediators) of GAEs to burnout and procrastination were 21.16% (NAEs), 29.75% (PAEs), 54.25% (NDEs) and 23.69% (PDEs).

Conclusions

The results indicate that academic emotions had mediating effects on procrastination and burnout. Medical students' worries about the uncertainty of the learning environment may have exacerbated academic burnout. Targeted improvements in the teaching environment to communicate encouragement and reduce anxiety and helplessness among medical undergraduates for implementing medical education while preventing and controlling the infection.

Resilience and positive coping style affect the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and academic procrastination among Chinese undergraduate nursing students

Background

Previous studies have not investigated the role of resilience and coping style on the association between maladaptive perfectionism and academic procrastination among nursing undergraduates. However, how to mobilize the learning enthusiasm of nursing students and reduce the incidence of academic procrastination is an important factor to reduce nursing loss and improve nursing quality.

Objectives

To investigate the influence of maladaptive perfectionism, resilience and coping style on academic procrastination among Chinese undergraduate nursing students.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted. A convenience sampling method was used to select 665 nursing undergraduates from March to May 2022 in China. Maladaptive perfectionism, coping style, resilience, and academic procrastination were measured using questionnaires. The descriptive analysis, Pearson’s correlation analysis and the Hayes’ PROCESS Macro in SPSS 25.0 were used to test the model.

Results

The results showed that nursing undergraduates’ maladaptive perfectionism, resilience, positive coping style and academic procrastination were significantly correlated between every two variables, with coefficients ranging between −0.290 and 0.584. In addition, resilience played a partial mediating role in maladaptive perfectionism and academic procrastination, accounting for 15.70% of the total effect; in the meantime, this process was moderated by positive coping style.

Conclusion

Maladaptive perfectionism positively predicted nursing undergraduates’ academic procrastination; as a mediating mechanism with moderating, resilience and positive coping style further explained how maladaptive perfectionism promoted the academic procrastination of nursing undergraduates. Understanding this mechanism is of great significance for nursing educators to reduce the risk of academic procrastination in nursing undergraduates.