Basic Psychological Needs, Procrastination and Coping in the Context of Healthy Aging

Abstract

This study investigated the relations between basic psychological needs, coping strategies, procrastination, anxiety, depression, and stress, in the scope of self-determination theory (SDT) and healthy aging. A sample of university adult students (N = 221) aged 18-69 years old, filled a set of questionnaires assessing these variables. The results showed that total basic psychological needs satisfaction has a positive relation with proactive coping, strategic planning, preventive coping, and instrumental support seeking, and a negative relation with procrastination, avoidance coping and anxiety, depression and stress. Proactive coping and strategic planning partially mediates the relationship between basic psychological needs total and procrastination. As age increased, there was more competence satisfaction, more adaptive coping strategies, and less procrastination, and anxiety, depression and stress. The results also emphasize the role of basic psychological needs as an important construct that may contribute to lower academic procrastination levels, through an increase of adaptive coping strategies. These results are discussed in the context of healthy aging, and how the academic context may increase the basic psychological needs satisfaction.