Factor Structure of Temporal Focus Scale and its Mediating Role in Relationship between Impulsive Choice and Procrastination among University Students

Procrastination or voluntary delay in doing an important and necessary activity, despite the expected negative consequences that outnumber the positive consequences of delay, is a common phenomenon in the modern society. On the basis of various data, procrastination affects 20 to 95 percent of adults in western countries and studying this phenomenon is very important. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties and the factor structure of temporal focus scale and to study the mediating role of temporal focus in the relationship between procrastination and impulsivity- delay discounting. Four hundred people (279 females and 121 males) were selected through convenience sampling from universities of Kermanshah (west of Iran). They were evaluated by questionnaires of impulsivity, monetary-choice, pure procrastination, and temporal focus. Data were analyzed based on Cronbach's alpha test, intra-class and Pearson correlation tests, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling using SPSS and Mplus software. The results showed that the reliability of the temporal focus scale was appropriate using all three measures of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91), split-half reliability (Guttman split-half coefficient = 0.90), and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation = 0.78). Exploratory factor analysis led to the expected three-factor structure. The proposed model fitted well with the data. Temporal focus, urgency, and delay discounting had direct effects, and urgency and lack of perseverance had indirect effects (due to temporal focus) on procrastination. The Persian version of the temporal focus scale has acceptable validity and reliability, and given the little time it takes to be filled out, it can be a proper tool to be used in various situations. Temporal focus, especially focusing on the past, plays a unique role in negligence, and a closer examination of this variable may help to better understand the underlying mechanisms of procrastination.