Impact of perceived social support on fear of missing out (FoMO): A moderated mediation model

Loneliness moderates the predictive effect of the trait-state FoMO pathway on problematic social media use

Fear of missing out (FoMO) and loneliness have been identified as significant contributors to problematic social media use (PSMU). However, no prior research has examined the interplay between trait FoMO, state FoMO, the moderating role of loneliness, and their combined influence on PSMU within a unified model. The present study addressed this gap by testing a moderated-mediation model to investigate how trait FoMO, state FoMO, and loneliness jointly impact PSMU. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 356 participants (55.6 % female; M age = 21.7 years, SDage  = 3.55) who completed the Trait-FoMO Scale, State-FoMO Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale (Short Version), and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. The results showed that females scored higher for PSMU than males, while age had no significant effect. Moderated-mediation analyses indicated that both trait-FoMO and state-FoMO were positively associated with PSMU. Moreover, state-FoMO partially mediated the relationship between trait-FoMO and PSMU, with loneliness moderating this pathway. More specifically, the association between trait-FoMO and state-FoMO was weaker at higher levels of loneliness but stronger when loneliness levels were low. These findings highlight FoMO as a major risk factor for PSMU, as well as emphasizing the importance of addressing loneliness in prevention and intervention efforts. This integrated model provides valuable insights for designing targeted strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of FoMO and loneliness on social media use.

The Longitudinal Association Between Negative Life Events and Problematic Social Media Use Among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of FoMO and the Moderating Role of Positive Parenting

Negative life events are one of the risk factors leading to problematic social media use (PSMU) among Chinese college students, but the underlying mechanism between them remains unclear. Based on compensatory internet use theory, a moderated mediation model was examined, with two dimensions of fear of missing out (FoMO) considered as parallel mediators and positive parenting as a moderator. A total of 525 college students (57.3% females, Mage = 21.94, SDage = 1.16) participated in this three-wave longitudinal study (6 months apart). We investigated their negative life events at Time 1, FoMO at Time 2, positive parenting at Time 2 and PSMU at Time 3. The structural equation model results indicated that, after controlling for demographic variables, negative life events positively impacted students' PSMU directly and indirectly by increasing their fear of missing novel information and fear of missing social opportunities. Moreover, positive parenting moderated the mediating effect of fear of missing social opportunities but not fear of missing novel information. In conclusion, this study reflected the underlying mechanism linking negative life events to PSMU, supporting the stress-buffering model while highlighting the protective role of positive parenting.

The impact of social media use on psychiatric symptoms and well-being of children and adolescents in the Post-COVID-19 era: a four-year longitudinal study

This longitudinal study examined the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media use and its impact on psychiatric symptoms and well-being of 3,697 Israeli children and adolescents aged 8 to 14. Data were collected from October 2019 to June 2023, covering four school years and five measurement points prior to, throughout and post- COVID-19. Social media usage, psychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety, somatization, and general distress), as well as subjective well-being (positive and negative emotions, and life satisfaction) were assessed. The analysis also probed the extent to which social support and extracurricular activities moderated the associations between social media use and mental health outcomes. The results of the growth mixed-effects models indicated a significant increase in social media use and psychiatric symptoms, and a significant decrease in subjective well-being over time. Greater social media use was related to more psychiatric symptoms and negative emotions, but also to more positive emotions and life satisfaction. Social support buffered the negative effects of excessive social media use on mental health, whereas extracurricular activities increased positive emotions, but also psychiatric symptoms related to social media use. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to regulate social media usage, given its lasting consequences on the mental health of children and adolescents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Relationship between Reasons for Smartphone Use, Addictive Use Tendencies, Fear of Missing Out, Depression, and Life Satisfaction: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis

INTRODUCTION

In the present cross-sectional study, we investigated whether reasons for smartphone use are similar to those of social media use. Also, we explored links between reasons of smartphone use and mental health variables (problematic smartphone use, FOMO, depression symptoms, and life satisfaction) in Germany during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

METHODS

Overall, 571 smartphone users (Mage = 31.60, SDage = 12.73) provided their reasons for smartphone use. The reasons were assigned to six categories by an inductive qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Five of six reasons were similar to those of social media described by previous research. "Search for social interaction" goes along with less problematic smartphone use and depression symptoms and more life satisfaction. "Search for positive feelings" is associated with lower life satisfaction. More depressed people, those with problematic smartphone use tendencies, higher FOMO, and lower life satisfaction tend to "escape from negative emotions."

DISCUSSION

Our results help to understand the relationships between reasons for smartphone use and mental health variables.

Perceived Social Support and Experiential Avoidance in Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Individual Relative Deprivation and Subjective Social Class

Based on the integration of ecological systems theory and the risk and protective factor model, the current study tested whether individual relative deprivation mediated the association between perceived social support and adolescents' experiential avoidance and whether this mediation model was moderated by subjective social class. A sample of 582 senior high school students in China participated in the current survey. The results indicated that perceived social support was negatively related to the students' experiential avoidance. Mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of perceived social support on experiential avoidance, via individual relative deprivation. Moreover, the mediation effect of individual relative deprivation was moderated by subjective social class. Specifically, the negative relationship between perceived social support and individual relative deprivation, and the direct relationship between perceived social support and experiential avoidance were stronger for adolescents with low subjective social class. In contrast, the positive relationship between individual relative deprivation and experiential avoidance was stronger for adolescents with high subjective social class.

The double-edged sword effects of active social media use on loneliness: The roles of interpersonal satisfaction and fear of missing out

Introduction

Social media' impact on loneliness has attracted widespread scholarly attention. One hypothesis is that active social media use (ASMU) is associated with a decrease in loneliness. However, several empirical studies did not find a significant correlation between ASMU and loneliness, and ASMU may even increase loneliness. This study explored the mechanism of the double-edged sword effects of ASMU on loneliness.

Methods

Data were collected through convenience sampling from three universities in China. A total of 454 Chinese college social media users (Mean age 19.75 ± 1.33; 59.92% female) completed an online questionnaire.

Results

ASMU was positively related to interpersonal relationship satisfaction, which was negatively related to general trait-fear of missing out (FoMO) and loneliness. Further structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis showed that ASMU could negatively predict loneliness through the mediation pathways of interpersonal satisfaction and "Interpersonal satisfaction → Trait-FoMO." At the same time, ASMU was also positively associated with online-specific state-FoMO, which was positively associated with trait-FoMO and loneliness. Further SEM analysis found no mediation effect of state-FoMO between ASMU and loneliness, but state-FoMO and traitFoMO sequentially mediate the relationship between ASMU and loneliness.

Discussion

This study indicates that ASMU may increase and decrease loneliness. Interpersonal satisfaction and FoMO explained the double-edged mechanism of ASMU on loneliness. These findings contribute to dialectically understanding the effectiveness of active social media use and provide theoretical guidance for promoting the beneficial aspects of social media while weakening its harmful consequences.

Differential Effects of Active Social Media Use on General Trait and Online-Specific State-FoMO: Moderating Effects of Passive Social Media Use

Purpose

Given the prevalence of the fear of missing out (FoMO) phenomenon and the limitations regarding understanding the relationship between social media use and FoMO, this research examines the links that bind different types of social media usage to different aspects of FoMO.

Methods

In the scope of this research, a structural equation modeling was developed to investigate the intricate connections that exist between active social media use (ASMU), passive social media use (PSMU), online-specific state-FoMO, and general trait-FoMO. Data were obtained from 394 Chinese university students (65% female) with experience in social media who completed the Active Social Media Use Scale, Passive Social Media Use Scale, and the Chinese Trait-State Fear of Missing Out Scale.

Results

Bivariate correlations analysis revealed that ASMU was significantly related with state-FoMO but not significantly related with trait-FoMO. Structural equation modeling revealed that ASMU had a significant direct negative predictive effect on trait-FoMO while positive association with trait-FoMO through the indirect effect of State-FoMO, illustrating that ASMU had a suppressing effect on trait-FoMO via state-FoMO. PSMU significantly moderated the direct effect of ASMU on trait-FoMO, and the direct effect was only significant at low levels of PSMU.

Conclusion

This study revealed whether and how social media use is linked to FoMO. Social media may not always increase FoMO, because positive, active social media interactions are conducive to the alleviation of trait-FoMO. However, it is significant to note that active interactions may also predict higher state-FoMO, so moderate social media use needs to be encouraged. In addition, a reduction in passive, non-communicative information browsing would be conducive to the alleviation of trait-FoMO by ASMU.

Effects of Personality Traits Concerning Media Use Decisions on Fear of Missing Out and Social Media Use Behavior

We could view the phenomenon of fear of missing out (FoMO) as a dilemma of too many choices about social media. Although there are already various studies on FoMO, there is still a lack of studies on what personality traits concerning media use decisions will contribute to FoMO or how FoMO mediates these personality traits and people's social media use behavior, and, thus, corresponding negative emotions. This study explored the causes of FoMO in a FoMO moderated mediation model using maximizing tendency before the choice was made, social comparison orientation when making choices, and regrets tendency after the choice was made. The results showed that (1) there is a non-significant influence between maximizing tendency and FoMO, (2) regret tendency is a positive influence on FoMO, (3) social comparison orientation is a positive influence on FoMO, (4) FoMO is a positive influence on the compulsive use of social media and surveillance use of social media, (5) FoMO exhibited a full mediating effect on the relationship between regret tendency and social media surveillance use, (6) FoMO exhibited a full mediating effect on the relationship between social comparison orientation and social media compulsive use.