Chronic Procrastination Among Turkish Adults: Exploring Decisional, Avoidant, and Arousal Styles

Abstract

The authors examined the prevalence of chronic procrastination (decisional, avoidant, and arousal styles) as functions of demographic variables among 354 Turkish adults (148 men, 206 women; M age = 38.7 years, SD = 8.26 years). Prevalence analyses showed that among Turkish participants, 17.5% were indecisive procrastinators, 13.8% were avoidant procrastinators, and 14.7% were arousal procrastinators. Results did not yield significant differences for gender or age on any forms of procrastination, which is consistent with other international samples. However, significant differences emerged depending on the number of children such that Turkish adults who had more than 3 children claimed to be more indecisive than they claimed to be arousal or avoidant procrastinators. Respondents with less than a graduate degree reported higher rates of indecision than did respondents with at least a graduate degree.

Academic Procrastination Among International Graduate Students: The Role of Personality Traits, the Big-Five Personality Trait Taxonomy

“…This result may indicate that age does not play a significant role in academic procrastination. The current finding is consistent with earlier research conducted by Ferrari et al (2009) but in contrast with the findings of several other studies. Steel (2007) found a negative relationship between procrastination and age, hypothesising that people should expect to have fewer tendencies to procrastinate as they age and learn.…”

Validation of the Spanish version of the Irrational Procrastination Scale (IPS)

“…Epidemiological studies establish that self-reported procrastination is present in at least 20% of the general adult population [ 2 ], and that chronic procrastination is common among English-speaking countries (i.e., Australia, United Kingdom, and United States) and Spanish-speaking countries (i.e., Peru, Spain, and Venezuela) where around 14% of adults self-identified as procrastinators [ 3 ]. In a Turkish sample, prevalence analysis revealed 15% of the adult population to be chronic procrastinators [ 4 ]. These studies used self-reported measures of procrastination, leaving out of their scope to what extent chronic procrastinators present a clinical condition that warrants intervention.…”

General and Life-Domain Procrastination in Highly Educated Adults in Israel

“…The nature of procrastination in older adults was studied from different angels (Ferrari et al, 2007 ; Tibbett and Ferrari, 2015 ). Epidemiological studies in English speaking countries, in Germany, Turkey, and six Spanish talking countries indicated that people procrastinate less as they age, when they are educated, married, have a job and reside in countries with higher levels of self-discipline (Ferrari et al, 2005b , 2007 , 2009b ; Gröpel and Steel, 2008 ; Steel and Ferrari, 2013 ; Beutel et al, 2016 ). Further, it was revealed that procrastination in older adults is associated with emotional variables such as life regrets (Ferrari et al, 2009a ), perceived stress, distress (depression, anxiety, fatigue), and reduced life satisfaction across a broad set of life-domains (Beutel et al, 2016 ).…”