Fear of missing out and binge-drinking among adolescents

Which should be targeted first? The comorbidity of sleep disturbances and anxiety symptoms among adolescents: Cross-sectional and longitudinal network analyses

BACKGROUND

The comorbidity of sleep disturbances and anxiety is well-established, but which symptoms to prioritize for intervention remains unclear. Academic stress, a key factor worsening both, is common among adolescents facing growing academic demands. Understanding how it affects both comorbidities from a symptomatology perspective is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

METHODS

The longitudinal survey of 34,494 adolescents was conducted twice (Mage = 12.89 [1.76] years). Adolescents were categorized into three groups based on academic stress scores' mean ± 1 standard deviation. Then, we examined the moderating effect of academic stress on the relationship between sleep disturbances and anxiety symptoms longitudinally by comparing groups' network structures, where nodes represent symptoms, and edge thickness reflects the associations' strength.

RESULTS

In the cross-sectional network, at both time points, the key bridge symptom is "sleep quality" (bridge Expected Influence (bEI) at T1 = 0.21; bEI at T2 = 0.20). In the longitudinal network, "irritability" (bEI = 0.21) and "sleep quality" (bEI = 0.21) are key bridge symptoms in the whole sample, with "sleep quality" (bEI = 0.36) most prominent in the high stress group. In the low stress group, it's "difficulty initiating sleep" (bEI = 0.14). Additionally, compared to the low group, adolescents with high academic stress possess more tightly connected relationships (edge weights ≥0.05) not only within single disorder symptom networks but also between two disorder symptom networks (number of edges: 2 vs 34).

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the moderating role of academic stress, offering insights for targeted interventions to improve adolescent mental health.

Effects of core self-evaluation on tobacco and alcohol use among left-behind children: mediating role of fear of missing out and moderating role of parental migration category and gender

BACKGROUND

Tobacco and alcohol use are quite prevalent among left-behind children, and core self-evaluation is an important contributing factor. Current research has rarely focused on the underlying mechanisms between these variables. This study aims to explore the relationships between core self-evaluation and tobacco and alcohol use among left-behind children, and the mediating effect of fear of missing out as well as the moderating effect of parental migration category and gender.

METHODS

For this study, data were collected from January 2024 to February 2025 at 25 rural primary and junior high schools in 5 cities in Jiangsu Province via a random cluster sampling method. A total of 1795 left-behind children were surveyed with the Core Self-Evaluation Scale, the Tobacco and Alcohol Use Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Fear of Missing Out Scale. SPSS 26.0 software was used for descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, and Mplus 8.4 software was used to analyse the mediation effect and moderated mediation effect.

RESULTS

Core self-evaluation was significantly associated with tobacco and alcohol use; the fear of missing out partly mediated the relationships between core self-evaluation and tobacco and alcohol use; the parental migration category served as a moderating factor in the mediation model, specifically, in households with dual-parent migration, the associations between fear of missing out and tobacco and alcohol use were more significant; no significant gender differences were observed in the relationships between fear of missing out and tobacco and alcohol use.

CONCLUSIONS

This finding indicated that core self-evaluation contributed to tobacco and alcohol use among left-behind children through fear of missing out, and the parental migration category moderated the latter half of the mediating model.

The fear of missing out and social media addiction: A cross-sectional and quasi-experimental approach

This research aimed to explore the connection between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Social Media Addiction (SMA) and assess the efficacy of guidance and counseling programs in mitigating FoMO and SMA among Saudi students. Four hundred and seventy students from Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University participated, completing the Fear of Missing Out Scale and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. The study employed both a cross-sectional approach to examine associations among variables and a quasi-experimental method to gauge the impact of the Guidance and Counseling Program on reducing FoMO and SMA. Findings indicated a positive correlation between fear of missing out and social media addiction. Subsequent analysis of the experimental study demonstrated statistically significant differences in students' mean scores for FoMO and SMA before and after intervention. The experimental group exhibited significantly lower scores at the post-test compared to pretest scores. Conversely, there were no statistically significant differences in scores for the control groups before and after the intervention. In conclusion, guidance and counseling programs were found to be effective in diminishing the fear of missing out and social media addiction among students.

Binge drinking and subsequent health and well-being among middle-aged Spanish adults: An outcome-wide analysis

BACKGROUND

Binge drinking has been associated with higher risks of adverse physical health outcomes. Motivations behind binge drinking may involve seeking pleasure and social connectedness, which are important aspects of life that constitute well-being. However, studies that apply a holistic framework of well-being to understand binge drinking remain limited, especially in non-English speaking populations.

METHODS

Using longitudinal data from the "Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra" (SUN) Cohort (n = 2837 Spanish university graduates, 51% women, mean age [SD] = 54 [12] years, data collected from March 1999 to July 2022), this study examined the association of binge drinking with a wide range of subsequent psychological well-being, mental health, physical health, and health behaviour outcomes over a four-year follow-up period. A set of regression models were used, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, total alcohol consumption and pre-baseline values of the outcome variables.

RESULTS

Binge drinkers reported a higher mean level of positive relations with others (standardized β = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.24) than non-binge drinkers. However, binge drinking was associated with several adverse health outcomes such as higher risks of obesity (RR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.09 to 3.19), major cardiovascular events (RR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.04 to 5.82), and unfavourable health behaviours (e.g., a longer screen time by 2.85 hours/week, 95% CI: 0.46 to 5.23).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides novel insights into the complex and multifaceted relationship of binge drinking with health and well-being. Further research will enhance our understandings of binge drinking and inform culturally appropriate interventions that effectively mitigate its negative consequences.

Fear of Missing out Serially Mediated by Social Media Use and Alcohol-Related Content on Alcohol Outcomes Among College Students: A Cross-Sectional Examination

Fear of missing out (FoMO) is the apprehension that others may be having more rewarding experiences from which one is absent. A positive relationship between FoMO and social media related behaviors is well established. Limited studies have examined how FoMO may be associated with risky health behaviors, such as alcohol use. Risky alcohol use is a pervasive public health issue among college students, a population with high rates of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. Emerging studies have identified alcohol-related content (ARC) on social media may predict greater college drinking. Yet no research has investigated if social media ARC exposure is a mechanism linking FoMO to alcohol outcomes among college students. This study examined if FoMO is indirectly related to college student (N = 705; ages 18-25) alcohol outcomes (i.e., quantity, frequency, problems, and peak drinks) via frequency of checking social media and frequency of ARC exposure from peers. All paths sequentially linking FoMO to alcohol outcomes were significant and positive. Greater FoMO was related to more frequent social media checking, greater ARC exposure, and indirectly related to greater alcohol consumption and problems. FoMO may be a helpful indicator of who is at risk of risky drinking and problems via social media use.

Determination of ethyl glucuronide in hair and self-reported alcohol consumption in university students

Young individuals constitute an intriguing population, as their drinking habits are notably shaped by their perception of their peers' alcohol consumption. Nonetheless, excessive alcohol intake can have detrimental effects on academic performance, interpersonal relationships, and the risk and severity of accidents. This study reported the first data involving students enrolled from three universities on a voluntary basis for alcohol consumption evaluation. Alcohol consumption was assessed through questionnaires and EtG quantification in hair (hEtG) carried out by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis after a solid-phase extraction (SPE) purification step. The results of our study demonstrated that 77.1% of samples tested negative for hEtG or displayed hEtG ≤ 5 pg/mg. Particularly, the student population was not characterized by samples with hEtG indicative of chronic excessive consumption (hEtG ≥ 30 pg/mg). No significant association was identified between biological sex, among the degree course/the year attended, nor in relation to BMI or smoking/coffee consumption. Among the obtained results, it was worth noting that the comparison of self-reporting abstinence from tobacco and coffee accounted for 65.3% and 16.7%, respectively, while only 2.8% of the total declared abstinence from alcohol. The current study has uncovered a significant level of interest among students in this analysis and its interpretation. This suggests that implementing public health promotion activities within a university setting could be beneficial.

Exploring the role of fear of missing out in coping and risk-taking among alcohol use disorder and general young adult populations

A high level of fear of missing out (FOMO) is related to many adverse emotions and behaviors, including stress, maladaptive coping, risk-taking, and alcohol consumption. However, previous research on FOMO has not considered particularly vulnerable cohorts like individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). In this project, we have conducted two preliminary studies (N1 = 356; N2 = 66) investigating the role of FOMO in alcohol-related coping strategy in a general population of young adults as well as a clinical sample of AUD patients. Results showed that FOMO is a positive predictor of alcohol coping in both studied samples, and it is a positive predictor of health risk-taking among people with AUD. The study identifies high FOMO as a risk factor for adopting maladaptive coping strategies, specifically alcohol coping.

Negative experiences, social exclusion and unwanted attention on social media: exploring the association with adolescent alcohol use

BACKGROUND

Adolescents' presence on Social Media (SoMe) facilitates peer connections making them susceptible to peer-influences and approval. Negative experiences on SoMe can affect adolescent stress and wellbeing, impelling their use of alcohol. This paper provides a novel understanding of the relationship between negative experiences on SoMe and key indicators of alcohol use in adolescents.

METHODS

Data was collected from upper secondary school students (n = 3528, ages 16-19, 45% boys) in Bergen (Norway) using a web-based questionnaire during school-hours in 2020 and 2021. Dependent variables were alcohol consumption, binge drinking and scoring ≥ 2 points on the CRAFFT instrument screening for substance use problems in adolescents. Independent variables were two scales indicating "negative acts and exclusion" and "unwanted attention from others". Covariates included age, gender, country of birth and subjective socioeconomic status. Results are presented as relative risk ratios (RRR), odds ratios (OR) and incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

Using multinomial logistic regression models, "negative acts and exclusion" and "unwanted attention" were positively associated with trying alcohol (OR: 1.50 (95% CI 1.28-1.76) and 1.86 (95% CI 1.66-2.09) respectively, both p ≤ 0.001), with frequency and amount of alcohol consumed. Findings from logistic regression models indicated that "negative acts and exclusion" and "unwanted attention" were positively associated with i. CRAFFT-caseness (OR: 2.13 and 1.86) and ii. frequent binge drinking (OR: 1.55 and 1.89).

CONCLUSION

Both exclusion and unwanted attention on SoMe were associated with indicators of problematic drinking, including frequency, quantity, and consequences related to alcohol.