Procrastination is a common problem among adults of all ages but especially among younger adults. About 1/2 of university students report struggling with procrastination.
A research study on procrastination among 3525 Swedish university students was published in JAMA Network Open in January 2023. They defined procrastination as “voluntarily delaying an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off because of the delay and is common, especially among younger people.”
Students with procrastination had “worse subsequent mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress symptom levels), having disabling pain in the upper extremities, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors (poor sleep quality and physical inactivity), and worse levels of psychosocial health factors (higher loneliness and more economic difficulties).”
Suggested reasons for these negative outcomes were thought to be the result of greater stress, less healthy behavior, and delayed treatment. Prior studies have shown that psychological treatment of procrastination results in better mental and physical health.
The bottom line is that procrastination is common, especially among younger adults, and results in a variety of physical and mental health problems. Fortunately, psychotherapy has been shown to be effective treatment.
Peter M. Hartmann, MD
Family Medicine & Psychiatry
