Bibliometric Exploration of Procrastination and Mental Health: Mapping Research Trends, Intellectual Structure, and Emerging Themes

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@article{1725008,
      author = {Sanskriti Dhurve},
      title = {Bibliometric Exploration of Procrastination and Mental Health: Mapping Research Trends, Intellectual Structure, and Emerging Themes},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {10},
      number = {5},
      pages = {2385-2405},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1725008.pdf},
      abstract = {Procrastination has attracted growing scholarly attention because of its association with psychological distress, emotional regulation, and psychological well-being. Although previous studies have examined procrastination from theoretical, empirical, and review-based perspectives, the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of research specifically connecting procrastination with mental health require further systematic investigation. Addressing this gap, the present study maps the scientific landscape of procrastination and mental health through bibliometric analysis of publications retrieved from the Scopus database. Using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer, the study examines publication trends, influential journals and publications, intellectual foundations, international collaboration, and thematic structures. The findings reveal increasing scholarly attention to the research domain, particularly in recent years. Among the contributing journals, Frontiers in Psychology emerges as the most productive source, with 62 publications and 1,447 citations. The co-citation analysis identifies 31 items organised into four clusters, connected through 301 links with a total link strength of 1,103, reflecting the interconnected intellectual foundations of procrastination research. Furthermore, keyword co-occurrence analysis identifies seven thematic clusters, representing research on psychological interventions and mental health outcomes, academic procrastination and student performance, self-control and behavioural addictions, sleep and bedtime procrastination, neuroimaging, psychological assessment, and motivation, personality, and psychological well-being. Overall, the findings demonstrate the multidisciplinary nature of this research domain and highlight the importance of self-regulation, motivational processes, psychological interventions, and sleep-related behaviour in understanding the broader research landscape. The study provides an organised overview of the field's intellectual development and identifies directions for future theoretical and empirical investigations.},
      keywords = {Procrastination, mental health, psychological distress, emotional regulation, self-regulation, depression},
      month = {November},
  }