Factorial structure and reliability of the Irrational Procrastination Scale (IPS) in Mexico

Abstract

Procrastination has been defined as an irrational delay in behavior associated with multiple negative consequences, among which the incidence in mental health is prominent. Given the importance of detecting irrational procrastination, this research proposed to adapt and study some psychometric properties of the IPS (Irrational Procrastination Scale) in the Mexican population. The 9-item IPS scale was applied to 960 university students between 18 and 56 years old (M= 21.31, SD= 3.77), with a majority of women (n= 566, 59.0%). The final version of seven items obtained a Cronbach's alpha of 0.803. Through an exploratory factor analysis with half of the sample, it was observed that the scale is unifactorial, explaining 46.07% of the variance. This was corroborated with the other half and by confirmatory factor analysis. It is concluded that IPS is a short and reliable instrument to detect irrational procrastination which can be an effective screening tool for the Mexican population.