Parental Authority and the Development of Female Dysfunctional Procrastination

Eighty-four young women (M age = 19.1 years) and their parents (mothers (M age = 44.5 years; fathers M age = 47.2 years) completed reliable and valid measures on parental authority, dysfunctional procrastination (decisional and avoidant forms), and anger. Results indicated that permissiveness style by mothers or fathers was not significantly related to procrastination scores in their daughters. Authoritarian fathers, however, were significantly likely to raise daughters with decisional (r = .32) and avoidant (r = .31) procrastination tendencies. Authoritative fathers, in contrast, were significantly likely to raise daughters who were nonprocrastinators (decisional r = − .22; avoidant r = − .28). Mother′s parental authority style was not significantly related to procrastination scores reported by their daughters, but mothers who are avoidant procrastinators are more likely to raise daughters who are avoidant procrastinators (r = .26) as well. Further, daughters categorized as dysfunctional procrastinators (n = 28) reported greater anger-in suppression perceived their fathers as more authoritarian and less authoritative, and had mothers who claimed to be more indecisive compared to nonprocrastinator daughters (n = 33). It would appear that fathers′ parental authority style had a major influence on daughters who develop dysfunctional procrastination tendencies. These female procrastinators expressed anger emotions and had a mother who reported chronic indecision and tended to be an avoidant procrastinator. Future research should investigate other indirect and direct associations of parenting with offspring procrastination tendencies.