Relationship between impulsive choice and emotional distress with students’ procrastination: mediating role of anticipated regret and consideration of future consequences

Given the wide prevalence of procrastination and delaying tasks and the need to identify factors affecting this problem, present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of anticipated regret and consideration of future consequences in the relationship between impulsive choice and emotional distress with procrastination. In an analytical cross-sectional study, 400 students were selected through available sampling from Kermanshah universities and they were assessed employing impulsivity (Cyders et al., 2014), depression, anxiety and stress (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), monetary choice (Kirby & Marakovic, 1996), regret-based decision making (Nygren & White, 2002), consideration of future consequences (Strathman et al., 1994), and pure procrastination (Steel, 2010) questionnaires. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation test and path analysis using SPSS and Mplus software. The findings showed that the present model has an excellent fit with data (RMSEA=0.001, CFI=1, TLI=1). Urgency (β=0.08, P<0.01), lack of perseverance (β=-0.07, P<0.01), anxiety (β=0.06, P<0.01), and delay discounting (β=-0.04, P<0.01) had significant effect on procrastination through anticipated regret and lack of premeditation had significant effect on procrastination through both anticipated regret (β=-0.07, P<0.01) and consideration of future consequences (β=0.03, P<0.05).It could be said that anticipated regret and consideration of future consequences play a mediating role in the relationship between impulsive choice and emotional distress with procrastination and we can help to reduce procrastination in distressed and impulsive individuals by formulating interventions that target these variables.