A study analyses the causes of university procrastination and proposes strategies to reduce its academic and emotional impact

The study analyses the relationships between procrastination and three main areas that are thought to be closely linked: academic time management, personality traits and psychological distress. To do so, the authors used several validated instruments widely used in international research, such as the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (PASS) to measure the intensity of procrastination; the Academic Time Management (ATM) questionnaire to assess how students manage their time; the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) to measure major personality traits; and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), which detects symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. The result of the statistical analysis is revealing: 61% of the variance in student procrastination can be explained by a combination of factors related to time, personality and emotional well-being.
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The authors point out that procrastination is not simply a matter of laziness or lack of willpower. Behind it may be real planning difficulties, low stress tolerance, high levels of neuroticism — i.e. a tendency to experience negative emotions — or a lack of responsibility, in the psychological sense of this personality trait. The data also show that students with lower academic performance have a higher tendency to procrastinate, and that procrastinating behaviour is more common among males and among students in audiovisual-related degrees.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the study is its applied dimension. The authors do not limit themselves to describing the phenomenon, but propose specific measures to address it from the perspective of university tutoring. In this sense, they are committed to strengthening support for academic planning and time management, introducing strategies for emotional regulation, and improving individualized monitoring of students, especially at times of transition, such as the first year of university or exam periods. They also suggest paying special attention to those students who show chronic patterns of procrastination and discomfort, as they may need more specific attention.