Global Self-Esteem Mediates the Effect of General Self-efficacy on Chinese Undergraduates' General Procrastination

Abstract

We investigated the mediating role of global self-esteem in the relationship between general self-efficacy and general procrastination among a sample of 304 Chinese undergraduate students. An online survey method was employed for data collection and willing participants completed an online survey consisting of the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Aitken Procrastination Inventory. The results showed that procrastination was negatively related to self-efficacy and self-esteem, and that self-efficacy was positively correlated with self-esteem. Mediation analysis revealed that self-esteem completely mediated the effect of self-efficacy on procrastination. Thus, we suggest that general self-efficacy decreases general procrastination because high self-efficacy fosters high self-esteem. As a result, it is necessary for preventive therapy in the context of procrastination to be focused on the enhancement of self-efficacy in order to cultivate a sense of self-worth in Chinese undergraduate student procrastinators.