Group Versus Internet-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Procrastination

March 11, 2018 updated by: Per Carlbring, Stockholm University
Procrastination is defined as a voluntarily delay of an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse-off for the delay, and is considered a persistent behavior pattern that can result in major psychological suffering. About one-fifth of the adult population and half of the student population are presumed having substantial difficulties due to recurrent procrastination in their everyday life. However, chronic and severe procrastinators seldom receive adequate care due to preconceptions and the lack of understanding regarding procrastination and the treatment interventions that are assumed beneficial. Cognitive behavior therapy is often deemed treatment of choice, although the evidence supporting its use is scarce, and only one randomized controlled trial has been performed. The primary aim of the current study is therefore to test the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy delivered as either a group intervention or via the Internet. Participants will consist of students recruited through the Student Health Centre at Karolinska Institutet. A randomized controlled trial with a sample size of 100 participants divided into two conditions will be employed; a ten week Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy intervention, and an eight week group intervention based on cognitive behavior therapy. The current study is believed to result in two important findings. First, different interventions inherent in cognitive behavior therapy are assumed to be helpful for people suffering from problems caused by procrastination. Second, both a group intervention and an Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy intervention are presumed suitable for administering treatment for procrastination, which is considered highly important as the availability of adequate care is limited, particularly among students. The current study will increase the knowledge regarding the efficacy of different treatments of procrastination, as well as enhance the overall comprehension of the difficulties related to dilatory behavior.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

90

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Sweden
      • Huddinge, Sweden, 141 52
        • The Student Health Centre at Karolinska Institutet.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Fluent in Swedish
  • Computer with Internet access and a working email
  • Registered as students at one of the affiliated universities of the Student Health Centre at Karolinska Institutet
  • Primary difficulties related to chronic and severe procrastination

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe depression (30 points or more on MADRS-S)
  • Acute conditions in need of treatment; suicidal ideation, neuropsychiatric conditions (ADHD, ADD), misuse of alcohol or drugs, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and psychosis
  • Ongoing psychotherapy
  • Ongoing psychotropic medication (unless dose is stable three months prior the entering treatment)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy
Behavioral: Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy
For participants in the Internet-based condition, the modules from a self-help treatment for procrastination will be distributed weekly during the treatment period, with one module given each week, i.e., ten weeks. In comparison to the group condition, participants will not receive a therapist contact or attend any sessions. In addition, the participants are expected to complete both the reading material and the assignments that are included in each module.
Experimental: Cognitive behavior group therapy
Behavioral: Cognitive behavior group therapy
For participants in the group intervention condition, the modules from a self-help treatment for procrastination will be delivered at four consecutive three-hour sessions at the Student Health Centre at Karolinska Institutet, with approximately two modules given at each session. The sessions will be spaced two weeks apart, during which participants are instructed to complete assignments related to the modules that were in focus of the previous session, e.g., goal-setting, time management, and behavioral experiments, which they are advised to present and discuss with the other participants.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline on the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
The PPS features twelve items measuring the prevalence of procrastination.
0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
Change from baseline on the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 24 weeks
The PPS features twelve items measuring the prevalence of procrastination.
0 weeks and 24 weeks
Change from baseline on the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (PASS)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
The PASS features three items measuring difficulties of procrastination within six different domains of study related activities.
0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
Change from baseline on the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (PASS)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 24 weeks
The PASS features three items measuring difficulties of procrastination within six different domains of study related activities.
0 weeks and 24 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
The MADRS-S is a self-report version of MADRS and features nine items measuring changes in mood, anxiety, sleeping patterns, appetite, concentration, initiative, emotional engagement, pessimism and attitude towards life.
0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
Change from baseline on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 24 weeks
The MADRS-S is a self-report version of MADRS and features nine items measuring changes in mood, anxiety, sleeping patterns, appetite, concentration, initiative, emotional engagement, pessimism and attitude towards life.
0 weeks and 24 weeks
Change from baseline on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
The GAD-7 features seven items for assessing anxiety and screening for generalized anxiety disorder.
0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
Change from baseline on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 24 weeks
The GAD-7 features seven items for assessing anxiety and screening for generalized anxiety disorder.
0 weeks and 24 weeks
Change in baseline on the Symptoms Checklist 90 (SCL-90)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
SCL-90 features 90 items evaluating the participant's physical health and mental well-being, and consists of three global domains as well as nine subdomains.
0 weeks and 8 or 10 weeks
Change in baseline on the Symptoms Checklist 90 (SCL-90)
Time Frame: 0 weeks and 24 weeks
SCL-90 features 90 items evaluating the participant's physical health and mental well-being, and consists of three global domains as well as nine subdomains.
0 weeks and 24 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Open-ended questions concerning adverse events
Time Frame: 4/5 weeks, 8/10 weeks, six-month follow-up
The occurrence and characteristics of possible negative effects of treatment will be examined using open-ended questions, i.e., "did you experience any negative effects during treatment", including rating scales assessing the degree to which the adverse event has affected the participant.
4/5 weeks, 8/10 weeks, six-month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Stockholm University

Collaborators

Karolinska Institutet

Investigators

  • Study Director: David Forsström, MSc, Stockholm University
  • Study Director: Alexander Rozental, MSc, Stockholm University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 6, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 9, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

April 11, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 13, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 11, 2018

Last Verified

March 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SU-KI-STUDENT

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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