The association of perfectionism and active procrastination in college students

It has been shown that perfectionism is a precursor to passive procrastination, which is a form of self-regulation failure, but little is known about the role of perfectionism in active procrastination. Thus, we sought to determine the relationship of high standards and discrepancy with active procrastination, which is a functional form of procrastination linked to better academic performance and psychological well-being. A convenience sample of 175 undergraduate students completed the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised and the Active Procrastination Scale. The results show there was a negative correlation between discrepancy and active procrastination. Students who perceived a larger discrepancy between their own performance goals and their actual performance were less likely to procrastinate actively. This suggests that the influence of perfectionism on procrastination may extend to active procrastination. Therefore, the implementation of interventions aimed at reducing individuals’ perfectionistic tendencies is of great importance

Psychosocial Correlates of Depression and Anxiety in the United Arab Emirates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

© Copyright © 2020 Thomas, Barbato, Verlinden, Gaspar, Moussa, Ghorayeb, Menon, Figueiras, Arora and Bentall. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is likely to be significant. Identifying vulnerable groups during the pandemic is essential for targeting psychological support, and in preparation for any second wave or future pandemic. Vulnerable groups are likely to vary across different societies; therefore, research needs to be conducted at a national and international level. This online survey explored generalized anxiety and depression symptoms in a community sample of adults (N = 1,039) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between April 8th and April 22nd, 2020. Respondents completed symptom measures of depression (PHQ8) and generalized anxiety (GAD7), along with psychosocial and demographic variables that might potentially influence such symptoms. Bivariate and multivariate associations were calculated for the main study variables. Levels of anxiety and depression were notably higher than those reported in previous (pre-pandemic) national studies. Similar variables were statistically significantly associated with both depression and anxiety, most notably younger age, being female, having a history of mental health problems, self or loved ones testing positive for COVID-19, and having high levels of COVID-related anxiety and economic threat. Sections of the UAE population experienced relatively high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms during the early stages of the pandemic. Several COVID-related and psychosocial variables were associated with heightened symptomatology. Identifying such vulnerable groups can help inform the public mental health response to the current and future pandemics