“Delay Today, Doubt Tomorrow?” Investigating the Relationship between Procrastination and Self-Esteem in Adolescents

Sicheng Bian

doi:10.54691/3d1em404

Authors

Sicheng Bian

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/3d1em404

Keywords:

Procrastination; Self-esteem; Adolescents; Shanghai; Correlational Studies.

Abstract

In this investigation, the researcher is aiming to study the correlation between procrastination and self-esteem among adolescents. A sample of twenty-four adolescents who currently study in international schools in Shanghai was obtained by employing an opportunity sampling technique based on the researcher’s peer network. All participants had completed one procrastination inventory and one self-esteem questionnaire, both crafted to adapt adolescent populations, using an online survey platform. The results of both methods of self-report clearly demonstrate a statistically significant negative correlation between procrastination and self-esteem, though the strength is limited. These results verify the initial hypothesis, inspiring schools and educators to design psychological health programs that aim to improve adolescents’ levels of self-esteem, therefore reducing adolescents’ procrastination behaviors and starting a positive circulation of self-esteem reinforcement and school performance improvement.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] Alicia D. Cast, Peter J. Burke, A Theory of Self-Esteem, Social Forces, Volume 80, Issue 3, March 2002, Pages 1041–1068, https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.2002.0003

[2] Beutel, M. E., Klein, E. M., Aufenanger, S., Brähler, E., Dreier, M., Müller, K. W., ... & Wölfling, K. (2016). Procrastination, distress and life satisfaction across the age range–a German representative community study. PloS one, 11(2), e0148054.

[3] Brizio, A., Gabbatore, I., Tirassa, M., & Bosco, F. M. (2015). “No more a child, not yet an adult”: studying social cognition in adolescence. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1011.

[4] Chen, K. H. (2019). Self-Identity and Self-Esteem during Different Stages of Adolescence: The Function of Identity Importance and Identity Firmness. Chinese Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 55, 27-56.

[5] Cohn, L. D., Macfarlane, S., Yanez, C., & Imai, W. K. (1995). Risk-perception: Differences between adolescents and adults. Health Psychology, 14(3), 217–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.14.3.217

[6] Evans, J. D. (1996). Straightforward statistics for the behavioral sciences. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.

[7] Ferrari, J. R., & Díaz-Morales, J. F. (2007). Perceptions of self-concept and self-presentation by procrastinators: Further evidence. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 10(1), 91-96.

[8] González-Brignardello, M. P., Sánchez-Elvira Paniagua, A., & López-González, M. Á. (2023). Academic Procrastination in Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review. Children, 10(6), 1016. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061016

[9] Hao, J. (2022). The relationship between rumination and academic procrastination among secondary school students: The mechanism of fear of failure, self-worth, and its intervention.

[10] K.B. Klingsieck, “Procrastination: When Good Things Don’t Come to Those Who Wait,” European Psychologist, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 24–34, Jan. 2013, doi: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000138.

[11] Liu, M.-Z., & Lu, G.-Z. (2011). Reliability and validity of Aitken Procrastination Inventory in middle school students. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 25(5), 380–384.

[12] Minev, M., Petrova, B., Mineva, K., Petkova, M., & Strebkova, R. (2018). Self-esteem in adolescents. Trakia Journal of sciences, 16(2), 114-118.

[13] Ragelienė T. Links of Adolescents Identity Development and Relationship with Peers: A Systematic Literature Review. J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2016 Spring;25(2):97-105. Epub 2016 May 1. PMID: 27274745; PMCID: PMC4879949.

[14] Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. Basic Books.

[15] Rosenberg, M., Schooler, C., Schoenbach, C., & Rosenberg, F. (1995). Global self-esteem and specific self-esteem: Different concepts, different outcomes. American sociological review, 141-156.

[16] Sawyer, S. M., Azzopardi, P. S., Wickremarathne, D., & Patton, G. C. (2018). The age of adolescence. The Lancet. Child & adolescent health, 2(3), 223–228.

[17] Vincent, I. J., Law, M. Y., Chew, Z. L. K., & Lai, C. S. (2024). Self-regulation and resilience: the role on active Procrastination of young adults. Int J Public Health, 13(4), 1538-1547.

[18] Wang, X., & Lu, T. (2023). The relationship between rumination and procrastination among college students: The mediating role of self-control. Campus Psychology, 21(2), 133–138.

[19] Zhang, L. (2023). The influence of locus of control on academic procrastination among adolescents: The chain mediating role of achievement motivation and academic burnout. Psychology Monthly, 18(2), 67–69.