Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Single-Session Interventions Reduce Procrastination among Students Compared to a Control Group: The CONCRAS Study.

Abstract

Introduction: Procrastination is highly prevalent among university students and associated with substantial impairments in well-being and functioning. This randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of two single-session interventions (SSIs) - one based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and one on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) - for reducing procrastination and tested the role of outcome expectations and experimentally induced expectation (in)congruence.

Methods: A total of 151 students with recurrent procrastination and a currently postponed task were randomly assigned to a CBT SSI, ACT SSI, or a no-intervention control group. Interventions (approximately 60 min) were delivered face-to-face and preceded by a videotaped ACT- or CBT-based treatment rationale to manipulate expectation congruence. Assessments took place at baseline, post-intervention, and 2-week follow-up. The primary outcome was state procrastination (APSI-d); secondary outcomes included APSI-d Anxiety and Doubt and Task Aversion, depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), psychological flexibility (CompACT-8), perceived improvement, and improvement expectations (G-EEE).

Results: Linear mixed models showed a substantial time × condition interaction for state procrastination, with both SSIs yielding significantly greater reductions than the control group and no significant difference between CBT and ACT. Similar patterns emerged for task-related anxiety and doubt, depressive symptoms, psychological flexibility (small-to-moderate gains), and perceived improvement. Higher baseline improvement expectations were associated with greater improvement, whereas expectation congruence and experimentally induced expectation violation did not differentially affect expectations or outcomes.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that CBT- and ACT-based SSIs are effective, low-threshold options for reducing procrastination in students in the short term and highlight adherence and treatment expectations as important levers for optimizing brief interventions.