The development and validation of a one-off scale to measure procrastination and precrastination traits in young adults

Abstract

Background Procrastination is the voluntary delay of urgent tasks. Precrastination, on the other hand, is the tendency to complete tasks as soon as possible. The extreme of both these conditions is considered harmful to mental health. There was a significant gap in the measurement of these conditions, and no single tool was discovered to measure both these conditions simultaneously. The current study was the first-ever in this regard, intended to assess a person's inclination toward procrastination or precrastination at the same time. Objective The present study aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive scale to measure both procrastination and precrastination traits single-handedly. Methods The development of the Procrastination and Precrastination Traits Scale (PPTS) involved generating potential items through literature review, expert feedback, pilot testing, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Moreover, the convergent and divergent validity were also evaluated. Data were collected using crowd-sourcing from 5000 participants (women = 60%; aged 18 to 38 years with a mean age of 28 years, SD = 5) from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Results The EFA identified two distinct factors representing procrastination and precrastination, leading to an 18-item scale. The CFA confirmed a good model fit for the two-factor structure of the 18 items. The reliability of both procrastination (ω = 0.86, α = 0.87) and precrastination (ω = 0.79, α = 0.77) was highly satisfying. The fit indices of the CFA reflected strong validity (CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.93, NNFI = 0.93, and RMSEA = 0.05). The convergent validity of the PPTS was established through the significant positive correlation of its procrastination scale with the Pure Procrastination Scale (r = 0.80; p < 0.001). The divergent validity of the PPTS was established through the significant inverse correlation of its procrastination scale with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (r = -0.47; p < 0.001). Conclusions The PPTS is a reliable and valid tool for measuring procrastination and precrastination. The process of developing and validating the PPTS involved data collection from six diverse continents, enabling the PPTS's potential universality and significance.