Evaluation of the frequency of academic procrastination and smartphone addiction in medical faculty students

Objective: Medical students are prone to academic procrastination due to high academic stress, intense working hours, and high exam load. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of academic procrastination, smartphone addiction and influencing factors in medical students. Materials and Methods: This study was approved by the Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine Ethics Committee at its meeting dated 27.02.2024 with the decision numbered 2024/110 (Appendix-1). The study was conducted at Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine. The population of the study consisted of medical students studying at Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine in the February-June semester of the 2024-2025 academic year. The study was conducted with a total of 1212 participants, reaching 82% of the 1466 students studying between semesters I-VI. The data were obtained with a 45-question questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics and the ATBI and AAIQ scales prepared in line with the literature. The questionnaire form included the ATBS and AASI. Data were evaluated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 statistical package program. Statistical significance was accepted as p<0.05. Results: The maximum age of the participants was 30 years and the minimum age was 18 years. The mean age was 21.69±2.27 years. The mean AQI score of women was 42.13±9.66 and 44.88±8.34, and the mean score of men was significantly higher (p<0.001). Alcohol users (46.91±8.99) and smokers (46.68±8.78) had significantly higher AQI scores than non-users (p<0.001). The score of those living alone (45.92±9.04) was significantly higher than those living with friends (p<0.001). The AQI score of those who rated their mental status as poor was 46.93±9.16, which was significantly higher than those who rated their mental status as very good (p<0.001). Those who evaluated their physical condition as very poor had an AASBI score of 49.72±10.71, which was significantly higher than those who evaluated their physical condition as very good (p<0.001). According to the results of the AASBI, the dependency rate of males was 51.2%, which was significantly higher than that of females (p<0.001). The dependence rate was highest in semester 1 students with 57.2% (p<0.001). The addiction rate of smokers (52.5%) was higher than that of non-smokers (p=0.020). The addiction rate of those whose mothers had primary school education was 55.6%, and mothers with primary school graduates had a higher addiction rate than university graduates (p=0.043). The AAQ score of participants with smartphone addiction (n=555) was 46.70±8.00, which was significantly higher than 40.47±9.20 in those without addiction (p<0.001). Conclusion: In our study, it was determined that students with smartphone addiction were more prone to academic procrastination. Studies to reduce students' smartphone addiction will reduce the procrastination of academic tasks, which will increase their academic achievement. As a result of the studies to be carried out to quit harmful habits such as alcohol and smoking, students' use of smartphones will decrease, minimizing the procrastination of academic tasks. Necessary information should be given to students against the harms of alcohol and cigarettes, and encouraging behaviors should be avoided as a society. Keywords: Medical students, Smartphone addiction, Academic procrastination