Talk therapies helped people put things off a little less than getting nothing
The review
Who took part
The review pooled 12 studies of treatments for putting things off, with 718 people. A smaller set of 4 studies, with 274 people, tested only therapy that challenges unhelpful thoughts.
What they did
People got talk therapies for putting things off, mostly therapy that challenges unhelpful thoughts and similar therapies. They had it in groups, one to one or online. The other groups got nothing, waited for the treatment, or got their usual care.
What happened
Across all 12 studies, people said they put things off a little less at the end of treatment. The 4 studies on therapy for unhelpful thoughts found about the same gain. But that result was not clear enough to be sure. The studies' results varied quite a lot. Most studies had a high risk of bias, and the authors did not rate how sure they were.
- Helped
Across 12 studies, talk therapy helped people put things off a bit less than getting nothing or waiting.
Pooled analysis of 12 studies with 718 people · vs people who got nothing, waited or got usual care · they rated themselves · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited
- No difference
In 4 studies, therapy for unhelpful thoughts did not clearly help people put things off less than the other groups.
Pooled analysis of 4 studies with 274 people · vs people who got nothing, waited or got usual care · they rated themselves · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited
Source
Targeting Procrastination Using Psychological Treatments: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2018)
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01588 (opens in a new tab)
