Effects of a single session low-threshold digital intervention for procrastination behaviors among university students (Focus): Findings from a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Procrastination behaviors are common among university students, and have been found to be associated with stress, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and poorer academic performance. There is a need for interventions that can reach students at scale, and therefore this study aimed to estimate the effects of a single session low-threshold digital intervention (Focus) for procrastination behaviors among university students in Sweden. Methods and analysis: A two-arm, parallel groups (1:1), single blind randomized controlled trial was conducted between February 8 to April 26, 2023. The study used email to invite university students across Sweden to participate in the trial. Both the intervention and the control group were invited to assess their current procrastination behaviors using the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS). The intervention group immediately received feedback and behavior change advice by means of an interactive website, while the control group was shown their total PPS score without any further feedback. Students were included in the study if they scored 20 points or more on the PPS. Our primary outcome was procrastination behavior measured at 2 months post-randomization. Analyses were conducted using multilevel regression models estimated with Bayesian inference. Results: A total of 2209 participants (intervention: 1109, control: 1100) were randomized. The average age of participants was 26.4 years (SD = 7.8) and 65 % were women ( Conclusions: Access to a single session of feedback and behavior change advice by means of an interactive website did not produce differential self-reported procrastination among university students who took the opportunity to self-assess their behaviors. The findings are limited by assessment reactivity due to screening at baseline and attrition to follow-up.