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Academic procrastination in university students: Associated factors and impact on academic performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

M. Ben Alaya ,
U. Ouali ,
S. Ben Youssef ,
A. Aissa  and
F. Nacef
M. Ben Alaya
Affiliation:
Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital, Manouba, Tunisia
U. Ouali*
Affiliation:
Department Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital, Manouba, Tunisia
S. Ben Youssef
Affiliation:
Nih, National Institute of Health, Tunis, Tunisia
A. Aissa
Affiliation:
Department Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital, Manouba, Tunisia
F. Nacef
Affiliation:
Department Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital, Manouba, Tunisia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Academic procrastination is a specific sub-type of procrastination, assessing the tendency to delay academic tasks in connection with the preparation of courses or exams.

Objectives

To determine the impact of academic procrastination on studies and academic performances and identify associated factors.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study in students from three different universities: a medical school, a law school and an engineering school. Socio-demographic, clinical and academic data were collected. Procrastination was assessed using the Academic Procrastination Scale. We further administered the Short Version of the impulsive behaviour scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Perfectionism scale, and the one item Self-esteem Scale.

Results

Our sample consisted of 1019 students. The mean age was 22 ± 2.25 years, and 62% were females. About one third of study participants used tobacco or alcohol, and 10% used drugs (cannabis or others). We found a significant positive correlation between procrastination and academic failure (r=0.22 p= 0.00) and a negative correlation with academic success (r= -0.27 p=0.00). Multivariate regression analysis showed the following risk factors for academic procrastination: alcohol consumption (ORa= 1.74 [1.14; 2.67]), study field (with reference to medicine: law ORa= 1.50 [1.02; 2.19], engineering studies ORa= 2.01 [1.34; 3.02]), and impulsivity (ORa= 2.11 [1.55; 2.86]).

Conclusions

Academic procrastination has a negative impact on academic achievement and performance. This impact appears to differ depending on the field of study. It also seems closely related to impulsiveness and alcohol use. Our findings might contribute to find new ways of helping students to improve academic performance.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

academic performancealcohol useProcrastinationImpulsivity
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S759 - S760
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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