- The study did not control for activities outside university, which could account for the levels of academic procrastination seen.
- The study did not use distinct measures for everyday and decisional procrastination.
- The study was primarily composed of female participants, possibly skewing the results since women are more commonly diagnosed with inattentive type ADHD.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Procrastination is often acknowledged in therapeutic treatment of ADHD, but it is not officially seen as an ADHD-related symptom. As a result, little is known about the role of procrastination in symptomology of ADHD. This study aims to explore the relationship between procrastination and ADHD-related symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in undergraduate college students. Results indicated that only inattention was correlated with general procrastination, as well as susceptibility to temptation.

The relation between procrastination and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in undergraduate students

Niermann, H. C.M., and Scheres, A. (2014), The relation between procrastination and symptoms of attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in undergraduate students, Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res., 23, 411–421. doi: 10.1002/mpr.1440

- Some work and organizational problems associated with ADHD (including forgetting homework, difficulty finishing long-term projects, and keeping materials organized) are closely related to procrastination behavior, and can manifest themselves clinically as procrastination. 
- Procrastination is an important aspect of several therapeutic interventions for people with ADHD, indicating that it is a commonly-faced deficit and function problem for adults with ADHD.
- Most research so far has examined the relationship between procrastination and impulsivity, suggesting a positive association between the two variables.
- The relationship between procrastination and inattention, as well as hyperactivity, has not been studied.


Procrastination and Symptoms of ADHD: Introduction

The current study aims at exploring the relationship between procrastination and ADHD-related symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in an undergraduate college population.

The study proposes 2 hypotheses:
- Researchers predict a positive correlation in the number/severity of ADHD-related behaviors and procrastination, specifically symptoms of impulsivity and impulsivity/hyperactivity symptom domain of ADHD.
- Researchers predict that participants with high levels of impulsivity are more likely to procrastinate.

54 participants (4=male, 50=female),with an mean age of 19.72 were recruited from the Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands (primarily psychology and pedagogy students).
- Participants all scored either high, medium, or low on a self-report questionnaire of ADHD-related behaviors, including impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention.
- Participants who scored within the highest 33% of symptoms experienced were invited, and only a small random subset of participants who scored within the middle 33% and lowest 33% were invited.

Procrastination and Symptoms of ADHD: Study Aims, Hypotheses, and Participants

In the first part, procrastination behavior was covertly observed while participants were asked to solve math problems:
- Participants were told the problems would take about 10 minutes, but they would be given 30 minutes.
- Researchers gave them the opportunity to perform “nice” tasks, such as playing games and reading magazines to reduce the stress or discomfort of solving math problems.
- Two variables were recorded to indicate academic procrastination: the time before solving math problems (seconds), and the time between solving the math problems.

Participants were then asked to complete several questionnaires regarding procrastination and temptation behavior:
- Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (PASS) assesses the prevalence of procrastination, problems related to procrastination, and the desire to reduce procrastination.
- Participants were asked about an important assignment they completed in the past semester, and were asked to elaborate about how long they were given to complete the assignment and how long before the deadline did they start the assignment.
- Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS) measures a general level of procrastination across all life domains, combining some measures on decisional procrastination, general procrastination, and adult inventory of procrastination.
- The Susceptibility of Temptation Scale (STS) measures the tendency of participants to be focused on short-term pleasurable activities.

Procrastination and Symptoms of ADHD: Methods

- Inattention was associated with higher scores on all subscales of the PPS, with a greater susceptibility to temptation.
- The strongest correlation in the study is between inattention and specifically general procrastination as part of the PPS.
- Correlations between hyperactivity/impulsivity and procrastination and susceptibility to temptation were not significant.
- Unlike what was predicted, symptoms of impulsivity were not related to procrastination.
- 23 participants showed some degree of procrastination while solving math problems. 5 students were conscious of their observation, but they were not excluded from the analysis.


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