Moderated-mediation analysis of problematic social networking use: The role of anxious attachment orientation, fear of missing out and satisfaction with life

Association between problematic social networking use and anxiety symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A growing number of studies have reported that problematic social networking use (PSNU) is strongly associated with anxiety symptoms. However, due to the presence of multiple anxiety subtypes, existing research findings on the extent of this association vary widely, leading to a lack of consensus. The current meta-analysis aimed to summarize studies exploring the relationship between PSNU levels and anxiety symptoms, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, attachment anxiety, and fear of missing out. 209 studies with a total of 172 articles were included in the meta-analysis, involving 252,337 participants from 28 countries. The results showed a moderately positive association between PSNU and generalized anxiety (GA), social anxiety (SA), attachment anxiety (AA), and fear of missing out (FoMO) respectively (GA: r = 0.388, 95% CI [0.362, 0.413]; SA: r = 0.437, 95% CI [0.395, 0.478]; AA: r = 0.345, 95% CI [0.286, 0.402]; FoMO: r = 0.496, 95% CI [0.461, 0.529]), and there were different regulatory factors between PSNU and different anxiety subtypes. This study provides the first comprehensive estimate of the association of PSNU with multiple anxiety subtypes, which vary by time of measurement, region, gender, and measurement tool.

Attachment security and problematic media use in infancy: A longitudinal study in the United States

Media use during childhood has quickly become a norm across the United States and in other countries. One area still not well understood is the development of problematic (or maladaptive and disruptive) media use in children. This research examines the role of attachment security as a central component in the development of problematic media use over time in a sample of 248 parent-child dyads (9.50% African American, 20.66% Hispanic, 62.81% White, 2.07% Asian, 4.96% other ethnicities). We examined the relationship between attachment security and problematic media use one and 2 years later. We then constructed a mediation model examining parent responsiveness while jointly engaging in media use and during play as mediators between infant attachment security and problematic media use over time. Results suggest that while infant attachment security may be protective against developing problematic media use patterns, this relationship does not seem to be mediated by parent-child interactions while engaging in media or during play.

The mediating role of FoMO and the moderating role of narcissism in the impact of social exclusion on compulsive buying: a cross-cultural study

BACKGROUND

There is an interrelationship between the concepts of social exclusion, compulsive buying behavior, fear of missing out (FoMO), and narcissism. Nevertheless, the extent to which these concepts mediate or moderate their relationships with each other has not been efficiently investigated.

OBJECTIVE

This research aims to investigate how FoMO mediates and narcissism moderates the correlation between social exclusion and compulsive buying behavior. In addition, the research aims to test a conceptual model and highlight the differences that may occur in the conceptual model proposed in two different countries.

METHODS

This model was analyzed among 1007 university students (Turkey = 506, Denmark = 501). The study used scales to measure social exclusion, compulsive buying behavior, FoMO, and narcissism. The study employed PROCESS Model 4 to analyze direct and indirect (mediation) effects and PROCESS Model 59 to assess conditional (moderation) effects. Furthermore, the Johnson-Neyman technique was utilized to investigate interaction terms.

RESULTS

The findings indicate that those who face social exclusion tend to participate more in compulsive buying, and this connection is partly explained by FoMO. This suggests that individuals who encounter social exclusion may have an increased likelihood of experiencing FoMO, which may subsequently contribute to compulsive buying behavior. Furthermore, the moderating effect of narcissism differed between the Turkey and Danish samples. Specifically, in the Turkey sample, narcissism only modified the connection between social exclusion and FoMO, while in the Danish sample, it impacted both the connection between social exclusion and FoMO and the connection between FoMO and compulsive buying.

CONCLUSION

The obtained results show that the regulating role of narcissism is different in Turkey and Denmark within the conceptual model we studied.

Instagram, risky drinking and main health effects in Spanish adolescents in the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between Instagram, alcohol consumption and the impact on adolescent health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

A qualitative study was carried out with 13 focus groups, involving 38 interviews. The fieldwork was conducted between January and December 2021 using a semi-structured script with three main categories. The research was carried out by a team specialized in adolescent risks and qualitative research.

RESULTS

Three main categories were established: (1) The COVID-19 pandemic, Instagram and Risky Drinking, (2) Risk prevention and control strategies and (3) Effects on health. The participants (n = 118) reported greater alcohol consumption among Instagram users, either because this social media platform was used to spread the practice of alcohol consumption, or because they were affected by the content posted by digital marketers, Instagrammers, and/or contacts on Instagram. More than half of the sample (67.8%) had health problems (loss of control, headaches, difficulty in breathing, trembling, anxiety attacks, vomiting, tiredness, blackouts, and absence seizures), of whom 35% required urgent attention from their parents and/or the health services.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research is needed to prevent risky drinking related to the use of social networking sites (SNSs) and its main health effects.

Psychological distress and internet addiction following the COVID-19 outbreak: Fear of missing out and boredom proneness as mediators

COVID-19 has caused major changes in people's mental health and behavior. This study aimed to investigate whether boredom proneness and fear of missing out acted as mediators between psychological distress and Internet addiction (IA). A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2020, including 552 youths aged 17-28 years. The recruited participants were asked to complete a series of self-reported questionnaires regarding psychological distress, fear of missing out, boredom proneness and IA. The results indicate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the reporting rate of IA in young adults was 28.1%, and fear of missing out and boredom proneness played multiple mediation roles in the relationship between psychological distress and IA. Governments and education departments should focus on young people with psychological deficits to prevent them from succumbing to IA.

Social Networking Site Use and Loneliness: A Meta-Analysis

The popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) has drawn researchers' attention in recent years, and a large amount of efforts have been made to explore the association between SNS use and loneliness, however, they provided mixed results. This meta-analysis was conducted to confirm the relationship, based on 82 articles consisting of 90 independent samples with a total of 48,383 participants. A random-effects model was used to analyze main effects and revealed that SNS use and loneliness were weakly, yet significantly positively correlated (r = 0.052). The type of SNS use moderated the relationship. Specifically, abnormal and passive SNS use was significantly and positively correlated with loneliness; however, no significant differences were observed in the relationships between general and active use of SNSs and loneliness. In addition, the moderating effects of gender, age, and culture were not significant.

Predicting social media use intensity in late adolescence: The role of attachment to friends and fear of missing out

The vast majority of research on social media use (SMU) is focused on its negative effects while often disregarding that it can also help adolescents form and maintain a network of social relations and support. This study explores the possibility of predicting SMU intensity based on peer attachment dimensions (Trust, Communication, Alienation) and FoMO on a sample of adolescents (N = 557; M_age = 18.09; SD_age = _.275). The results show that Trust and Communication (merged in one dimension of Peer support) are positive predictors of SMU and that this effect is partly mediated by FoMO which was also found to be a positive predictor. Alienation was not a significant predictor in the first step of regression analysis, but it became significant upon the addition of FoMO. The indirect effects analysis showed that FoMO suppresses the effect of Alienation on SMU intensity - the stronger FoMO the smaller the effect of Alienation. To sum up, when there is trust and good communication in relationships with friends, but also Fear of missing out, there will be more intensive use of SM. In addition, although being alienated from friends can restrict the use of SM, this effect is diminished if there is Fear of missing out. Taken together, these results point to the role of peer attachment and FoMO in predicting the intensity of SMU which can be viewed not as a negative phenomenon but as a way of acquiring social capital and a means of preserving and maintaining already acquired social capital.

Dark Triad Personality and Phubbing: The Mediator Role of Fomo

Phubbing among undergraduate has become an area of increasing research interest in recent years. In recent years, studies on phubbing have increased. However, no empirical study has deal with the mediating effect of fear of missing out (FoMO) on the relationship between dark triad and phubbing. The dark triad refers to three personality traits: Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. Machiavellianism is characterized by prioritizing one's own wishes and desires. Psychopathy, is a personality trait where lack of emotion and self-control is seen. Narcissism is characterized by low empathy and egocentrism. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine whether FoMO mediator between dark triad and phubbing among undergraduates. For this purpose, structural equation modeling and bootstrapping method was used. Mediation analyses were performed using AMOS 22.00. The present study comprised 506 undergraduate (%70.7 female; %29.3 male). The age of the participants ranged between 18 and 29 (x = 22.41).The measures used included the General Scale of Phubbing, Fear of Missing Out Scale, and Dirty Dozen Scale. The results showed that FoMO mediated the relationship between dark triad and phubbing. The results of bootstrapping procedure indicated that the indirect effect of FoMO on the relationship between dark triad and phubbing was significant. In conclusion, the study suggests that FoMO is a meaningful mediator in the relationship between dark triad and phubbing. Research results are discussed in the light of the related literature and suggestions are presented for future researchers.

Problematic Smartphone Use and Problematic Social Media Use: The Predictive Role of Self-Construal and the Mediating Effect of Fear Missing Out

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) and problematic social media use (PSMU) are two interrelated constructs which have received significant research attention over the past decade. The present study investigated the relationship between self-construal (distinguished as independent and interdependent), PSU and PSMU with Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) as a mediating variable. The sample comprised 405 Italian students who completed standardized psychometric scales assessing the variables of the study. Bivariate correlations analysis showed that FoMO and independent self-construal was significantly and negatively associated. On the contrary, interdependent self-construal was significantly and positively associated with FoMO, PSU, and PSMU. Mediation analysis showed that FoMO mediated the relationship between self-construal and both PSMU and PSU, but at different levels. The results demonstrated that FoMO full mediated the relationships between interdependent self and PSU, whereas only partial mediation was found between interdependent self and PSMU. Therefore, taking these personality characteristics into account may help reduce dysfunctional behaviour associated with problematic technology use and promote psychological well-being among students. However, it is recommended that further studies replicate the proposed model by including other psychological constructs.

The influence of perceived parental phubbing on adolescents' problematic smartphone use: A two-wave multiple mediation model

Using a two-wave longitudinal design, the current study examined the relationship between early perceived parental phubbing and subsequent problematic smartphone use. As loneliness is a sensitive indicator of interpersonal problems and fear of missing out is a strong predictor of Internet-related addiction, we examined these two variables as possible mediators in this relationship based on existing literature. A total of 1447 Chinese adolescents (572 males and 875 females, mean age = 16.15 years) completed questionnaires regarding perceived parental phubbing, loneliness, fear of missing out, and problematic smartphone use. The results indicated that: (a) early fathers' phubbing (fphubbing) and mothers' phubbing (mphubbing) predicted adolescents' subsequent problematic smartphone use; (b) loneliness mediated the relationship between early fphubbing/mphubbing and adolescents' subsequent problematic smartphone use; and (c) loneliness and fear of missing out sequentially mediated the relationship between early fphubbing/mphubbing and adolescents' subsequent problematic smartphone use. These results suggested that three types of interventions could be effectively used to decrease the risk of problematic smartphone use among adolescents, namely, reducing perceived parental phubbing, relieving loneliness, and decreasing fear of missing out.