The Mediating Effects of Psychological Capital Between Undergraduate Nursing Students' Professional Commitment and Academic Procrastination
Shilin Chen, Yaqin Chen, Yanchun Peng, Liangwan Chen, Yanjuan LinABSTRACT
Aim
The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between professional commitment, psychological capital (PsyCap) and academic procrastination (AP), and to explore the mediating role of PsyCap between professional commitment and AP of undergraduate nursing students.
Design
A descriptive cross‐sectional study.
Methods
A convenience sampling method was used to select 405 undergraduate students enrolled in the four‐year nursing and midwifery major at an institution in Fujian Province from December 31, 2023 to March 31, 2024 for the study. A self‐administered general information collection form, Positive Psycap Questionnaire (PPQ), Professional Commitment of Undergraduates Scales (PCUS) and Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (PASS) were utilized for online data collection to validate the mediating effect of PsyCap between professional commitment and AP among undergraduate nursing students.
Results
The AP score of undergraduate nursing students was (33.74 ± 7.77), with 49.63% of students experiencing AP. Significant differences in AP were observed across gender, grade, student cadre status and love of nursing major ( p < 0.05). Higher anxiety levels in female students contributed to greater AP, and senior nursing students exhibited higher levels of AP. AP was negatively correlated with PsyCap ( r = −0.551, p < 0.01) and professional commitment ( r = −0.579, p < 0.01), while PsyCap was positively correlated with professional commitment ( r = 0.625, p < 0.01). PsyCap played a partial mediating role in the relationship between professional commitment and AP among undergraduate nursing students, with a mediation effect value of −0.1950, accounting for 34.03% of the total effect.
Conclusion
The incidence of AP among undergraduate nursing students is relatively high, with gender, grade, student cadre status and love of nursing major identified as influential factors. PsyCap plays a partial mediating role between professional commitment and AP. Nursing educators reduce AP behaviours in undergraduate nursing students through PsyCap interventions, helping them improve learning efficiency, guiding them in academic planning, and laying a foundation for their future career development and the advancement of the nursing profession.
Public Contribution
A total of 405 undergraduate nursing students were involved in this study.