Fear of failure and academic procrastination: self-critical rumination and academic self-handicapping as mediators

Academic procrastination, frequently seen in student populations, is regarded as a significant barrier to achieving academic success. However, it is often viewed as the result of certain maladaptive strategies shaped by underlying cognitive and behavioural factors. Therefore, the present research examines how academic procrastination, fear of failure, and self-critical rumination are connected to students’ tendencies to engage in academic self-handicapping. The study sample included 360 university students (72.2% female, 27.8% male Mage = 22.45) in Türkiye. The dataset was examined using structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques. The results demonstrate that self-critical rumination and academic self-handicapping act as full mediators in the association between fear of failure and academic procrastination. These results imply that interventions targeting self-critical rumination and academic self-handicapping strategies may be effective in students experiencing academic procrastination. Furthermore, while fear of failure contributes to procrastination, the cognitive processes and behavioural strategies associated with this fear play a particularly influential role.