Now or Never: An Observational Study on Academic Procrastination among Medical Students in Central Kerala

Background: Academic procrastination involves putting off tasks such as studying for exams, writing papers, or completing assignments until the last possible moment. It is a common challenge faced by many students and can significantly impact their academic performance and overall well-being. Several factors contribute to academic procrastination, including poor time management skills, lack of motivation or interest in the subject matter, fear of failure, perfectionism, difficulty concentrating, and feeling overwhelmed by the workload. In recent years, the promotion of a student's overall well-being has been one of the most important topics in education. Objective: To assess to identify the prevalence of academic procrastination and its correlates among medical students in central Kerala. Materials and Methods: The present cross sectional study was conducted among medical students of both genders in Pathanamthitta district, Central Kerala from October 2022 to December 2022. The data was analyzed using the IBM statistical package for social sciences version 20. The results have been presented as tables and charts showing percentages. Chi-square test and odds ratio were used for analyzing the association between demographic variables and academic procrastination among the study participants. Results: The mean Academic Procrastination among the study participants was 79.59 + 14.8. The prevalence of mild (score less than 50), moderate (score between 50 and 75) and high (score higher than 76) academic procrastination was 3.1%, 39.3%, and 57.5% respectively. Gender of the study participants, long deadlines, distractions, peer influences were some of the factors found to be positively associated with academic procrastination. Conclusion: The present study reveals a high prevalence of academic procrastination among medical students in Pathanamthitta district. A notable finding in the study is that many of the variables that have emerged as risk factors of academic procrastination among study participants are modifiable.