The relationship between self-compassion and academic procrastination being mediated by Shame and Anxiety

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the direct and indirect influences of self-compassion on procrastination among Assumption University students in Thailand. The sample consisted of 200 respondents (male: n=74, 37%; female: n=126, 63%) who voluntarily filled in the study’s survey questionnaire consisting of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI- Form Y) to measure anxiety; the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (PASS) to measure the level of academic procrastination; the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) to measure the level of self-compassion, and the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3) to measure the level of shame. Results from the path analysis indicated that the participants’ reported level of self-compassion was negatively associated with their level of academic procrastination; that is, the higher their level of self-compassion, the lower their reported level of academic procrastination. It was also found that self-compassion had a negative influence on the participants’ reported level of anxiety. Their reported level of self-compassion was not found to have any significant influence on their reported level of shame. Finally, neither shame nor anxiety had a significant influence on academic procrastination. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.