Abstract

Background: Procrastination is a widespread and pervasive self-regulatory failure. However, research has primarily focused on younger adult populations. As the global population of individuals over the age of 65 continues to grow, understanding whether, how, and why older adults procrastinate has become increasingly important.

Methods: To address this gap, this thesis examines the mechanisms and consequences of procrastination in older adulthood using three complementary datasets. These include a nationally representative secondary dataset from the United States, a secondary dataset from Ireland, and a primary dataset collected in the United Kingdom.

STUDY 1 used data from the United States Health and Retirement Study to examine whether depressive symptomatology and loneliness mediated the association between age and procrastination. Structural equation modelling revealed a significant indirect effect via depressive symptomatology such that older adults with higher levels of depression were more likely to engage in procrastination. Subsequent exploratory analysis revealed that this relationship was primarily driven by fatigue, loneliness, and lack of motivation.

STUDY 2 investigated the social aspects of procrastination by examining whether differences were present between younger and older adults in their perceptions of procrastination as a violation of social norms. Using data collected from 200 adults in the United Kingdom, multilevel modelling revealed that both financial and health procrastination were perceived more negatively than general procrastination. However, there was little evidence that these perceptions differed between younger and older adults.

STUDY 3 examined the temporal aspects of procrastination by investigating the associations between temporal orientation, subjective remaining life, and procrastination. Using secondary data from adults in Ireland, latent class analysis and Bayesian regression demonstrated that while no moderating role for subjective remaining life was present, both subjective remaining life and temporal orientation were independently associated with procrastination.

STUDY 4 examined whether procrastination affected engagement in health preventive behaviours among older adults. Using cross sectional data from the United States Health and Retirement Study, this study used generalised additive models to show that procrastination was negatively associated with a range of health preventive behaviours, including prostate exams, mammograms, cholesterol screenings, and dental visits.

STUDY 5 involved using longitudinal data from the United States Health and Retirement Study to test if procrastination could be an early marker of cognitive decline. Using discrete time Markov models this study showed that procrastination scores were significantly higher among individuals with MCI or dementia than those with normative cognitive function. Furthermore, procrastination was associated with cognitive impairment and predicted subsequent transitions from normative cognitive functioning to mild cognitive impairment

Conclusions: Collectively, the findings demonstrate that procrastination remains a meaningful phenomenon in older adulthood and cannot be fully understood using theories developed primarily via younger populations. Instead, procrastination appears to reflect a dynamic developmental process shaped by interacting affective, motivational, social, temporal, and cognitive factors. Beyond its theoretical significance, procrastination was associated with poorer engagement in preventive health behaviours and emerged as a potential early behavioural marker of cognitive decline. These findings highlight the importance of adopting a lifespan perspective to better understand the causes, consequences, and practical implications of procrastination in older adulthood.