JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

As a common behavioral issue for adult online learners, procrastination can seriously harm the learning efficiency and psychological well-being. Despite the development of diverse interventional approaches, there is still a lack of evaluation on the effectiveness of online self-help interventions in mitigating procrastination.

Objective:

The aim of this research is to examine the efficacy of newly developed online self-help procrastination intervention program (OPSI) in alleviating adult online learners’ procrastination behaviors. Procrastination behavior, as a main outcome measure, was evaluated through the Irrational Procrastination Scale and Pure Procrastination Scale. Secondary outcome measures contained depression, perceived stress, anxiety, psychological well-being, self-control and self-efficacy. Additional measures assessed the intervention’s acceptability and adherence.

Methods:

In this research, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design was adopted. Participants were randomly classified into the intervention group (n = 33) and the waitlist control group (n = 33). Three time points - baseline (t₀), 6 weeks following the intervention (t₁), and 12 weeks following the intervention (t₂) - were chosen for assessment. Based on the intervention adherence, user satisfaction, and possible adverse effects, feasibility was assessed. Apart from that, indicators like procrastination, perceived stress, depression, and anxiety were employed to measure the intervention effects. Furthermore, 66 Chinese adults diagnosed with procrastination had been recruited, and their age ranged from 20.25 to 47.06 years (M = 29.72). For participants in the experimental group, they got a 12-week online intervention. For those in the waitlist control group, they got access to the same program after the intervention.

Results:

Compared with the control group, the procrastination symptoms of the intervention group were remarkably improved. The group and time’s interaction greatly affected IPS scores (t (194) = 3.42, p < .001). Meanwhile, the intervention group had a meaningful within-group difference between the post-intervention and baseline assessments (d = −1.43, 95% CI: −1.91; −0.95). Likewise, there was a pronounced group-by-time interaction for PSS scores (t (194) = 2.82, p < .01). In other words, the perceived stress of intervention group was notably reduced between post-intervention and baseline (d = −1.06, 95% CI: −4.46; −2.33). Regarding the secondary outcome measures and side effects, there was no remarkable difference.

Conclusions:

As revealed by this research, OSPI efficiently decreased symptoms of procrastination while enhancing gross psychological well-being. In the future studies, the long-term impact of OSPI together with its basic mechanisms should be further explored. Public Health Implications: OSPI provides an effective and resource-efficient alternative for adult online learners, particularly those who have limited access to face-to-face psychological services. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: ChiCTR2200065752 (registered June 2022)