Does SMS-support make a difference? Effectiveness of a two-week online-training to overcome procrastination. A randomized controlled trial

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Authors

  • Marcus Eckert
  • David D. Ebert
  • Dirk Lehr
  • Bernhard Sieland
  • Matthias Berking

The primary purpose of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to evaluate the efficacy of an unguided, 2-week internet-based training program to overcome procrastination, called ON.TOP. Because adherence is a typical problem among individuals who tend to procrastinate, especially with internet-based interventions, the secondary purpose of the present study was to investigate whether adding SMS support increases subjects' frequency of engagement in training. In a three-armed RCT (N = 161), the effects of the intervention alone and intervention with daily SMS-support were compared to a waiting list control condition in a sample of students. The primary outcome of interest was procrastination. The secondary outcome of interest was the extent of training behavior. Baseline (T0), immediate post-treatment (T1) and 8-week post-treatment (T2) assessments were conducted. Results indicated that procrastination decreased significantly only with intervention group with daily SMS support, relative to control. Moreover, incorporating SMS support also may enhance extent of training behavior.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1103
JournalFrontiers in Psychology
Volume9
Issue numberJUL
Number of pages13
ISSN1664-1078
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 05.07.2018

    Research areas

  • Psychology - Adherence , Online-training , SMS support , Procrastination , Rubicon model

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