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SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION, FEAR OF MISSING OUT AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Abstract
Abstract
The rapid growth of social media use has raised concerns regarding its impact on university students' mental health. Social media addiction and Fear of Missing out (FoMO) have emerged as important psychological factors associated with depressive symptoms. The present study examined the relationships among social media addiction, FoMO, and depressive symptoms and investigated the mediating role of FoMO in this relationship among university students. A quantitative correlational research design was employed. A purposive sample of (N=300) undergraduate and postgraduate students (aged 18–30 years) from public and private universities in Pakistan participated in the study. Data were collected using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Fear of Missing out Scale (FoMOS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, multiple linear regression, and mediation analysis (PROCESS Macro Model 4) were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25. The findings indicated that social media addiction was positively correlated with FoMO (r=.61, p < .01) and depressive symptoms (r=.49, p .01), while FoMO was also positively associated with depressive symptoms (r=.56, p< .01). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that social media addiction (β=.39, p< .001) and FoMO (β=.29, p<.001) were significant predictors of depressive symptoms, jointly explaining 41% of the variance (R²=.41). Mediation analysis further revealed that FoMO partially mediated the relationship between social media addiction and depressive symptoms, with a significant indirect effect (B=.20, 95% CI [.13, .29]). The findings suggest that excessive social media use contributes to depressive symptoms both directly and indirectly through heightened Fear of Missing Out. These results highlight FoMO as an important psychological mechanism underlying the adverse mental health effects of problematic social media use. Universities and mental health professionals should promote healthy digital habits and implement interventions targeting FoMO to reduce depressive symptoms and enhance students' psychological well-being.
The rapid growth of social media use has raised concerns regarding its impact on university students' mental health. Social media addiction and Fear of Missing out (FoMO) have emerged as important psychological factors associated with depressive symptoms. The present study examined the relationships among social media addiction, FoMO, and depressive symptoms and investigated the mediating role of FoMO in this relationship among university students. A quantitative correlational research design was employed. A purposive sample of (N=300) undergraduate and postgraduate students (aged 18–30 years) from public and private universities in Pakistan participated in the study. Data were collected using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Fear of Missing out Scale (FoMOS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, multiple linear regression, and mediation analysis (PROCESS Macro Model 4) were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25. The findings indicated that social media addiction was positively correlated with FoMO (r=.61, p < .01) and depressive symptoms (r=.49, p .01), while FoMO was also positively associated with depressive symptoms (r=.56, p< .01). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that social media addiction (β=.39, p< .001) and FoMO (β=.29, p<.001) were significant predictors of depressive symptoms, jointly explaining 41% of the variance (R²=.41). Mediation analysis further revealed that FoMO partially mediated the relationship between social media addiction and depressive symptoms, with a significant indirect effect (B=.20, 95% CI [.13, .29]). The findings suggest that excessive social media use contributes to depressive symptoms both directly and indirectly through heightened Fear of Missing Out. These results highlight FoMO as an important psychological mechanism underlying the adverse mental health effects of problematic social media use. Universities and mental health professionals should promote healthy digital habits and implement interventions targeting FoMO to reduce depressive symptoms and enhance students' psychological well-being.