The Relationship Between Academic Procrastination, Self-Efficacy, Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Croatian Students

Abstract

Recently, there has been an increasing tendency among students to postpone important commitments until they can no longer be avoided. The success in completing tasks, mental health, and overall quality of life are just some of the aspects of an individual’s general well-being that are negatively impacted by procrastination. However, some research suggests that the relationships between academic procrastination and factors such as self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, and stress are not yet fully understood. Therefore, it is crucial to further investigate these areas in order to improve theoretical understanding and develop effective practical interventions with clearly defined goals. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between procrastination, self-efficacy, stress, anxiety, and depression in a sample of students from the Republic of Croatia. A total number of 931 students participated in the study, of whom 819 (88%) were women and 112 (12%) were men. The participants completed the Socio-demographic Data Questionnaire, the Tuckman Procrastination Scale, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. A trace analysis was used to statistically analyse the data, which determined that students who procrastinate more tend to rate their self-efficacy lower, and experience more stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. Also, students who rate their self-efficacy higher tend to experience less stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. In addition, it was found that, unlike age, grade point average and stress made a direct contribution to explaining the variance in procrastination, while grade point average, stress, and age made an indirect contribution to explaining the variance in procrastination through self-efficacy. The same pattern of results was also found for anxiety and depression.