Factors associated with academic procrastination among undergraduate nursing freshmen based on random forest: a cross-sectional study

Academic procrastination (AP) is a common issue that adversely affects academic adaptation and development among undergraduate nursing freshmen. This study aimed to investigate the current status of AP in this population and identify its associated factors. A convenience sample of 387 undergraduate nursing freshmen was recruited from three medical colleges in Sichuan Province and surveyed between September and December 2025. Data were collected using a social-demographic information questionnaire, the academic procrastination inventory for college students (APICS), the meaning in life questionnaire (MLQ), and the ruminative responses scale (RRS). Random Forest was used to exploratorily rank the importance of 15 candidate variables identified based on self-regulated learning theory. LASSO regression was then applied for variable selection from these 15 candidates. Subsequently, multivariate linear regression was conducted on the LASSO-selected variables to examine their independent associations with AP. The average academic procrastination score for undergraduate nursing freshmen was 50.19 ± 11.94. Seven key factors (meaning in life, rumination, classroom learning climate, the difficulty level of daily learning tasks, gender, student leader, and intention to work as a nurse after graduation) were independently associated with AP, collectively accounting for 34.0% of the variance. Meaning in life and rumination were associated with AP among undergraduate nursing freshmen, highlighting the need to consider these psychological factors in both future research and educational practice.