EFFECTS OF PROCRASTINATION ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

This study sought to measure the impact that academic procrastination has on the psychological well being of students in a university setting as well as to ascertain the relationship, if any, between the two variables along with the difference in gender of students with procrastination. The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey with a quantitative approach and achieved this by completing the necessary threshold of 400 standardised students aged 18-24 years in the undergraduate domain of Sindh University, Jamshoro. The data collection was accomplished using the Pure Procrastination Scale and Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Wellbeing as well as other demographic criteria. As per the study findings students in the undergraduate domain of study formed the sample with respect to the three age cohorts and were classified as 27.0% aged 18-20 years, 49.0% aged 21-23 years with the remainder being classified as 24.0% aged 23 years and older. The respondents were fairly balanced in gender 50.0% being classified as male and the other 50 0% as female. The research indicated that procrastination and psychological well being were negatively correlated with a moderate score of (R=-.362), whereby academic procrastication could only account for 13% of the variance of the well being. The adjusted R-squared value illustrates the amount to which including academic procrastination as a predictor, positively enhances the fit of the model in reference to the data. The number of regression and residuals was 1 and 399 which confirms that there was a limited degree of predictor to the dependent variable; however the degree to which the dependent variable was impacted, was considerable. The results have shown that academic procrastination is a significant predictor of psychological well being for university students.