Mediating effect of fear of failure and emotional processing difficulty in the relationship between maladaptive evaluative concerns perfectionism and academic procrastination in Hong Kong college students

Abstract

Relationship between perfectionism and academic procrastination has long been studied by researchers. Among the many definitions of perfectionism, not a few of researchers focused on studying multidimension of perfectionism such that studies concerning the relationship between Maladaptive Evaluative Concerns (MEC) Perfectionism and academic procrastination have been limited. The current study aimed to provide added knowledge on the relationship between MEC Perfectionism and academic procrastination and the mediating effect of cognitive and emotional variables in college students in Hong Kong. 776 university students from different institutions in Hong Kong were recruited to fill in a battery of questionnaires, including Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students, The Chinese version of Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, The Chinese version of Emotional Processing Scale – 25 and Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory. All measures demonstrated good internal consistencies. Significant positive correlation was found between MEC Perfectionism and academic procrastination. Fear of failure, a cognitive variable, played a mediating role between MEC Perfectionism and academic procrastination. Only one of the five emotional processing difficulties – impoverished emotional experience showed a significant mediating effect between fear of failure and academic procrastination. Potential interventions targeting fear of failure and impoverished emotional experience were discussed.