This article provides a theoretical analysis of academic procrastination among university students and its relationship with anxiety. The study synthesizes contemporary findings on key psychological determinants of procrastination, with particular emphasis on fear of failure, perfectionism, and task aversion as principal contributing factors.

Based on an integrative review of international and domestic scholarly literature, the analysis identifies a weak but consistent positive association between anxiety and academic procrastination. The reviewed evidence suggests a bidirectional relationship, whereby anxiety may function both as a predictor of procrastination and as an outcome of chronic task delay.

Furthermore, academic procrastination is conceptualized as a maladaptive self-regulation strategy that may serve short-term emotional relief by reducing perceived psychological tension, albeit at the cost of long-term academic and psychological outcomes. The findings highlight the significance of psychological and motivational variables in the design of effective interventions aimed at reducing procrastination tendencies among students.

academic procrastination, anxiety, students, fear of failure, perfectionism, time management, mental health

Bhatt S.A., Yang K. Academic procrastination among college students in relation to academic satisfaction: a correlational study. Educational Research Review, 2023, 15, pp. 12–20. https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2023.v08.n07.003

Kim K.R., Seo E.H. The relationship between procrastination and academic performance: a meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 2015, 1, pp. 26–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.038

Sudirman S.A., Reza F.A., Yusri N.A., Rina R., Bach M. Tomorrow delay: academic procrastination, perfectionism, and fear of failure. International Journal of Education, Islamic Psychology, 2023, 30, pp. 136–153. https://doi.org/10.18196/ijiep.v4i1.17576

Desai M., Pandit U., Nerurkar A., Verma S., Gandhi S. Examination anxiety and procrastination among physiotherapy students. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2021, 10, p. 132. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_851_20

Bolbolyan M., Asgari S., Sefidi F., Zade A.S. Relationship between test anxiety and academic procrastination among dental students. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2021, 10, p. 67. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_867_20

Moonaghi H.K., Beydokhti T.B. Academic procrastination and its characteristics: a narrative review. Future Medical Education Journal, 2017, 1, pp. 7–9. https://doi.org/10.22038/FMEJ.2017.9049

Solomon L.J., Rothblum E.D. Academic procrastination: frequency and cognitive-behavioral correlates. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1984, 31, pp. 503–509. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.31.4.503

Onwuegbuzie A.J. Academic procrastination and statistics anxiety. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2004, 29, pp. 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293042000160384

Maier W., Buller R., Philipp M., Heuser I. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale: reliability, validity and sensitivity to change in anxiety and depressive disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 1988, 14, pp. 61–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-032790072-9

Kaster N. Test anxiety and academic procrastination among medical students preparing for licensing examinations. Nurse Education Perspectives, 2018, 39, pp. 162–163. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000291

Steel P. The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletin, 2007, 133(1), pp. 65–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65

Ferrari J.R. Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done. New York: Wiley, 2010.

Bandura A. Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: Freeman, 1997.

Spielberger C.D. Anxiety: Current trends in theory and research. In: Anxiety and Behavior. New York: Academic Press, 1972, Vol. 1, pp. 3–20.

Cassady J.C., Johnson R.E. Cognitive test anxiety and academic performance. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2002, 27(2), pp. 270–295.

Uzun Özer B., Demir A., Ferrari J.R. Exploring academic procrastination among Turkish students. Social Behavior and Personality, 2009, 37(3), pp. 309–322.

Sudirman S. et al. Academic procrastination and fear of failure. Journal of Education and Learning, 2015, 9(2), pp. 150–158.