An acceptance-based group course may have cut how much students put things off

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   60 students in Beijing, 32 men and 28 women, with an average age of about 21. They were picked because they often put things off and were prone to distress.

2. 02

   What they did

   Each therapy group met eight times, once a week for three hours, with a trained therapist. One group had therapy that challenges unhelpful thoughts (the thought-challenge group). The other had therapy built on accepting feelings and acting on values (the acceptance group). A third group only filled in questionnaires (the questionnaire-only group).

3. 03

   What happened

   During treatment the groups did not clearly differ on putting things off. Afterwards the acceptance group put things off less than the questionnaire-only group, and the gap held at three months. The thought-challenge group also improved its time management more than the questionnaire-only group did.

What the study found

1. HelpedProcrastination

   After treatment the acceptance group put things off less than the third group, even three months later.

   • Action: Clarify what matters to youtested
   • Action: Notice the unpleasant feeling and start anywaytested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small trial of 60 students in Beijing who often put things off · vs students who only filled in questionnaires · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

2. HelpedTime management

   After treatment, the thought-challenge group managed time better than the third group.

   • Action: Take a time-management coursetested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small trial of 60 students in Beijing who often put things off · vs students who only filled in questionnaires · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

3. HelpedOther outcomes

   Three months later, negative feelings had fallen more in the acceptance group than in the third group.

   • Action: Notice the unpleasant feeling and start anywaytested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small trial of 60 students in Beijing who often put things off · vs students who only filled in questionnaires · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

4. HelpedOther outcomes

   At the end, both therapy groups had lower self-esteem than questionnaire-only students. Three months later, they had higher.

   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small trial of 60 students in Beijing who often put things off · vs students who only filled in questionnaires · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

Source