Latent profiles of academic delay of gratification and the mediating role of academic self-efficacy in the pathway to academic involution among Chinese college students.

Introduction: Against the backdrop of increasingly intense educational competition, college students have generally fallen into the dilemma of academic involution. This study integrates variable-centered and person-centered analytical approaches to explore the latent categorical characteristics of academic delay of gratification (ADOG) among Chinese college students, and to further examine the internal mechanisms linking ADOG, academic self-efficacy, and academic involution. Methods: Between June and August 2025, this study employed a convenience sampling method to distribute online questionnaires to Chinese college students. All students who completed valid questionnaires were included in the analysis. A total of 717 Chinese college students participated in this study, consisting of 284 males (39.6%) and 433 females (60.4%), with a roughly even distribution across the first to fourth academic years. Data were collected using the Academic Delay of Gratification Scale, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Academic Involution Scale. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to classify the latent profiles of ADOG, and correlation analysis, mediation analysis, and moderated mediation modeling were performed to examine the relationships among the variables. Results: The results showed that ADOG among college students could be classified into three latent profiles: low-level, medium-level, and high-level groups. These three groups demonstrated significant differences in levels of academic self-efficacy and academic involution. Variable-centered mediation analysis revealed that academic self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between ADOG and academic involution. In the person-centered analysis, using the low-level group as the reference, academic self-efficacy exerted a partial mediating effect in the association between high-level ADOG and academic involution. Discussion: This study confirms the group heterogeneity of ADOG among college students. It also clarifies the internal mechanisms linking the three variables from both variable-centered and person-centered perspectives. The findings provide solid empirical evidence and practical guidance for universities to formulate differentiated intervention strategies for academic pressure and to guide college students in responding rationally to academic competition.