Measurement Heterogeneity and Pooled Prevalence of Academic Procrastination Among Health Sciences Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
7 affiliations
- 1Facultad de Medicina (FAMED), Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM), Chachapoyas 01001, Peru.
- 2Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Continental, Lima 15306, Peru.
- 3Escuela de Medicina Humana, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru.
- 4EpiHealth Research Center for Epidemiology and Public Health, Lima 15072, Peru.
- 5Unidad de Posgrado y Especialización, Tecnologías Avanzadas para la Salud con Enfoque en Inteligencia Artificial, Bioinformática y TIC, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru.
- 6Escuela de Medicina Humana, Universidad Señor de Sipán, Chiclayo 14000, Peru.
- 7Oficina de Inteligencia Sanitaria, Red Prestacional Lambayeque, EsSalud, Chiclayo 14001, Peru.
Abstract
Background/objectives
In health sciences students, academic procrastination can affect performance, mental health, and professional development. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of study-defined elevated academic procrastination among health sciences students and to describe the methodological and measurement characteristics of the instruments used to assess it.Methods
A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted. We included observational studies reporting the prevalence of academic procrastination among undergraduate students enrolled in health sciences programs, including medicine, nursing, dentistry, psychology, and related health professions. The reported measurement characteristics of the instruments used to assess academic procrastination, including validity, reliability, and cut-off criteria, were reviewed and systematized. The meta-analysis was performed employing a random-effects model and the double arcsine transformation (Freeman-Tukey) to stabilize variance. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were calculated to explore possible sources of variation.Results
Twenty-six studies were included with a total of 8211 students. The pooled prevalence of study-defined elevated academic procrastination was 55.35% (95% CI: 46.55-63.98%, I² = 98%). The prevalence was higher in nursing students (62.60%), followed by psychology (61.67%), medicine (52.62%), and dentistry (45.76%). The most commonly used instruments were the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (38.5%), Academic Procrastination Scale (23.1%), Tuckman's Procrastination Scale or its adaptations (15.4%), Academic Procrastination Scale by McCloskey and Scielzo or related APS versions (11.5%), Lay's Procrastination Scale (7.7%), and MHCA (3.8%). Most studies used non-probabilistic sampling, and only 8% validated instruments specifically for their target populations. Reliability coefficients were generally adequate (α = 0.75-0.95). The meta-regression revealed a slight upward trend in prevalence as a function of publication year, although this was not statistically significant.Conclusions
Academic procrastination appears to be frequent among health sciences students; however, the pooled estimate should be interpreted as a descriptive summary of study-defined prevalence rather than as a universal prevalence estimate, given the very high between-study heterogeneity and the variability in instruments, cut-off criteria, and population-specific validation. Educational institutions should implement prevention and support strategies, while research should prioritize instrument validation, measurement standardization, and transparent case definition criteria.
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BibTeX
@article{veraponce2026measurement,
title = {{Measurement Heterogeneity and Pooled Prevalence of Academic Procrastination Among Health Sciences Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.}},
author = {Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce and Fiorella E Zuzunaga-Montoya and María Julia Cómina-Tamayo and Darwin A León-Figueroa and César Iván Guerrero Uceda and Oriana Rivera-Lozada and Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo and Holly Estrella Delgado-Toro and Mario J Valladares-Garrido},
journal = {European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ejihpe16100154},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930217},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Measurement Heterogeneity and Pooled Prevalence of Academic Procrastination Among Health Sciences Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AU - Víctor Juan Vera-Ponce
AU - Fiorella E Zuzunaga-Montoya
AU - María Julia Cómina-Tamayo
AU - Darwin A León-Figueroa
AU - César Iván Guerrero Uceda
AU - Oriana Rivera-Lozada
AU - Jhosmer Ballena-Caicedo
AU - Holly Estrella Delgado-Toro
AU - Mario J Valladares-Garrido
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education
DO - 10.3390/ejihpe16100154
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930217
AB - Background/objectives In health sciences students, academic procrastination can affect performance, mental health, and professional development. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of study-defined elevated academic procrastination among health sciences students and to describe the methodological and measurement characteristics of the instruments used to assess it.Methods A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted. We included observational studies reporting the prevalence of academic procrastination among undergraduate students enrolled in health sciences programs, including medicine, nursing, dentistry, psychology, and related health professions. The reported measurement characteristics of the instruments used to assess academic procrastination, including validity, reliability, and cut-off criteria, were reviewed and systematized. The meta-analysis was performed employing a random-effects model and the double arcsine transformation (Freeman-Tukey) to stabilize variance. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were calculated to explore possible sources of variation.Results Twenty-six studies were included with a total of 8211 students. The pooled prevalence of study-defined elevated academic procrastination was 55.35% (95% CI: 46.55-63.98%, I² = 98%). The prevalence was higher in nursing students (62.60%), followed by psychology (61.67%), medicine (52.62%), and dentistry (45.76%). The most commonly used instruments were the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (38.5%), Academic Procrastination Scale (23.1%), Tuckman's Procrastination Scale or its adaptations (15.4%), Academic Procrastination Scale by McCloskey and Scielzo or related APS versions (11.5%), Lay's Procrastination Scale (7.7%), and MHCA (3.8%). Most studies used non-probabilistic sampling, and only 8% validated instruments specifically for their target populations. Reliability coefficients were generally adequate (α = 0.75-0.95). The meta-regression revealed a slight upward trend in prevalence as a function of publication year, although this was not statistically significant.Conclusions Academic procrastination appears to be frequent among health sciences students; however, the pooled estimate should be interpreted as a descriptive summary of study-defined prevalence rather than as a universal prevalence estimate, given the very high between-study heterogeneity and the variability in instruments, cut-off criteria, and population-specific validation. Educational institutions should implement prevention and support strategies, while research should prioritize instrument validation, measurement standardization, and transparent case definition criteria.
SN - 2174-8144
SN - 2254-9625
ER -