Academic procrastination among Sudanese medical students through the lens of gender: a cross-sectional study

Academic procrastination (AP) refers to the intentional delay of academic tasks despite knowing its negative impact. It is considered a prevailing phenomenon among medical students. Numerous discussions have explored the potential influence of gender on this behavior. This study aimed to assess the effect of gender differences on academic procrastination among Sudanese medical students.

This analytical, institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted in five major public Sudanese universities. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit participants. The Academic Procrastination Scale (APS) was used to assess academic procrastination after obtaining informed consent from participants. The questionnaire was distributed online via Google Forms across various social media platforms. A histogram illustrated gender differences in APS scores, while Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test examined variations across socio-demographic groups. Hierarchical linear regression analyzed gender's effect on AP, controlling for other socio-demographic factors. A significance level of 0.05 was applied. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26.

This study included 386 participants, with 68.9% from the University of Khartoum. The median academic procrastination score was 71.5 (22.3). Gender was not a significant predictor of academic procrastination (p-value = 0.404), even after adjusting for other socio-demographic factors (p-value = 0.162). Married students showed significantly higher procrastination levels compared to single or engaged students (p-value = 0.024). Employment status and income were also significant predictors in the linear regression analysis (p-value = 0.039 and p-value = 0.012, respectively).

This study found that gender was not a significant factor in academic procrastination among Sudanese medical students. Socio-economic factors, particularly employment status and income, had a greater influence. Interventions should focus on addressing these broader issues rather than gender-specific strategies.