“Tomorrow is the busiest day of the week”: Executive functions mediate the relation between procrastination and attention problems

Abstract

We examined whether executive functions (EFs) mediate the relation between procrastination and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in college students. <b>Participants:</b> One hundred fourteen undergraduates were recruited for study participation. <b>Methods:</b> Participants completed measures of academic performance, procrastination, ADHD symptoms, EFs (as measured by five EF facets: time management, organization/problem-solving, restraint, motivation, and emotion regulation), and common comorbid concerns for college students between May 2017 and May 2018. A mediational framework was utilized to examine the associations among procrastination, EFs, and four ADHD symptoms domains. <b>Results:</b> Results indicated that both procrastination and GPA correlated with EFs and three ADHD symptom domains. While EFs mediated the association between procrastination and ADHD symptoms, follow-up analyses suggested that self-management of time and organization/problem-solving are the specific pathways through which procrastination is indirectly associated with ADHD symptoms. <b>Conclusions:</b> Promising areas for future research and potential intervention targets are discussed.