Reducing procrastination using a smartphone-based treatment program: A randomized controlled pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundProcrastination affects a large number of individuals and is associated with significant mental health problems. Despite the deleterious consequences individuals afflicted with procrastination have to bear, there is a surprising paucity of well-researched treatments for procrastination. To fill this gap, this study evaluated the efficacy of an easy-to-use smartphone-based treatment for procrastination.MethodN = 31 individuals with heightened procrastination scores were randomly assigned to a blended smartphone-based intervention including two brief group counseling sessions and 14 days of training with the mindtastic procrastination app (MT-PRO), or to a waitlist condition. MT-PRO fosters the approach of functional and the avoidance of dysfunctional behavior by systematically utilizing techniques derived from cognitive bias modification approaches, gamification principles, and operant conditioning. Primary outcome was the course of procrastination symptom severity as assessed with the General Procrastination Questionnaire.ResultsParticipating in the smartphone-based treatment was associated with a significantly greater reduction of procrastination than was participating in the control condition (η2 = .15).ConclusionA smartphone-based intervention may be an effective treatment for procrastination. Future research should use larger samples and directly compare the efficacy of smartphone-based interventions and traditional interventions for procrastination.

The Efficacy of Interventions Aimed at Reducing Procrastination: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“… Note . ES = effect size; CI = confidence interval; CG = comparison group; Weeks = number of weeks from intervention end to final assessment; DV = dependent variable; RT = reality therapy; IP = in person; NT = no treatment; TAPS = Turkish Academic Procrastination Scale; REBT = rational emotive behavior therapy; CBT = cognitive behavior therapy; OL = online; WL = waiting list; GPS = General Procrastination Scale; Ecl = eclectic; SP = Savari Procrastination scales; SC = scheduling; PRE = Premack; PI = Procrastination Inventory; Smart = smartphone; Multi = GPS and Procrastination State Inventory for Lukas and Berking (), and Irrational Procrastination Scale and Pure Procrastination Scale for Rozental et al (); APS = Academic Procrastination Scale; SB = strengths based; DAPI = Dutch Academic Procrastination Inventory; Visual = visual feedback of own procrastination; LSPQ = Lay and Silverman Procrastination Questionnaire; PL = procrastination log. a Based on intention‐to‐treat analyses. b Based on postintervention scores only because means presented for prior assessments included different numbers of participants. …”

“…For example, Rozental, Forsell, Svensson, Andersson, and Carlbring () used a psychoeducational approach incorporating elements of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), such as goal setting and behavioral activation, as well as examination of dysfunctional beliefs. Lukas and Berking () provided psychoeducational information relating to development of procrastination and change strategies and asked participants to identify situations in which they procrastinated and then to use strategies to counter procrastination in these situations. Ghadampour, Veiskarami, and Vejdanparast () drew on motivation and social learning principles, as well as problem‐solving strategies, in designing their intervention.…”

“…Therefore, counselors and other clinicians look to meta‐analysis as a foundation for evidence‐based practice (Schmidt & Hunter, ). A recent surge in published articles reporting the effects of procrastination interventions (e.g., Eckert, Ebert, Lehr, Sieland, & Berking, ; Lukas & Berking, ) makes the present an ideal time to complete a meta‐analysis on the effects of these interventions. The effects of procrastination interventions are important because the problem of procrastination is widespread and prevents individuals from being as successful as they might be.…”

Reduksi Keputusan Prokrastinasi Akademik Siswa melalui Teknik Pertanyaan Berskala dalam Konseling Ringkas Berfokus Solusi

“…Beberapa studi terkait penggunaan KRBS dalam menangani masalah prokratinasi, antara lain dilakukan oleh Lukas and Berking (2018) dimana KRBS efektif disajikan dalam format kelompok sebagai perlakuan untuk prokratinasi dalam penggunaan smartphone. Selanjutnya, penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Höcker, Engberding, Beißner, and Rist (2008) menunjukkan bahwa KRBS mampu memberikan perubahan yang signifikan terhadap perilaku prokratinasi akademik siswa.…”

Role of Self-Efficacy and Negative Perfectionism in the Prediction of Procrastination of Narcissistic Personality: A Study on Non-Clinical Subjects

“…procrastination ranging between 15%-20% in the general adult population prove as evidence for the frequency of this phenomenon [17][18][19][20]. Procrastination is a failure of self-regulation [16,[21][22][23], in other words, it has been viewed as a maladaptive attempt to manage behavior or emotion [24,25], that is associated with various mental health problems [26]. Procrastination increases negative feelings such as shame or guilt [27], reduces well-being [20], and affects health behavior, such as deferring to seek proper care for health problems [28].…”