Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Researches have highlighted the individual roles of smartphone addiction (SA), self-control (S-C), and academic self-efficacy (AS-E) in predicting academic procrastination (AP), but studies on how these variables combine to affect AP are scarce. Drawing inspiration from the conceptual model of procrastination, this research endeavors to examine a serial mediation model in which SA serves as a precursor, with S-C and AS-E acting as serial mediators in predicting AP among college students who are prone to it. METHODS: Participants were 1269 Chinese undergraduates (989 females, Mage = 19.03±1.00) from seven major regions in China. Data were collected using an online questionnaire. Descriptive and mediation analyses were conducted in SPSS 25.0. RESULTS: The findings revealed that SA is indirectly linked to AP through independent and sequential mediation by S-C and AS-E. People with high SA reported lower levels of S-C, which in turn was associated with lower AS-E, and these were associated with higher reports of AP. DISCUSSION: These findings offer significant contributions to the current body of research on AP, laying the groundwork for the development of interventions focused on reducing AP among college students.