Do you consider yourself a procrastinator, who leaves everything to be done at the last moment? Know that this can cause problems. Not only because by postponing tasks you run the risk of not being able to complete them, but also because procrastination can lead to physical and mental health risks.
Research published in the journal JAMA Network Open carried out with 3,500 students from Swedish universities in three moments, studied the effects of procrastination. One of the conclusions was that procrastination in the lives of these young students who used to turn in homework at the last minute is an “educational epidemic,” with about half of students putting off time to do their homework.
Negative effects
The study revealed that delaying things is directly associated with worsening mental health, leading to stress and illnesses such as anxiety and depression, as well as physical problems such as pain in the upper extremities (shoulders, arms and hands). In addition, procrastination is also linked to an unhealthy lifestyle, with poor sleep quality and lack of physical activity, also altering psychosocial factors (more loneliness and financial difficulties, for example).
Causes
The authors of the study argue that the causes of procrastination respond to personality characteristics, such as impulsiveness and distractibility. But external factors such as students’ freedom and lack of structure are also taken into account, which consequently indicates that students need self-regulation.
The search
The survey followed students online for a year in various disciplines. For scholars, the discovery was not a surprise, but it helps to understand the mental health of today’s youth. The head of the Psychiatry and Psychology Service of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona in Spain and professor at the University of Barcelona, Edward Vieta, said the study on procrastination “ allows early identification of some mental health problems.”
