Relationship between Problematic Mobile Phone Usage, Fear of Missing Out (Fomo), and Pubbing Behaviour among Late Adolescents

Abstract

Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU), Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), and phubbing behavior have become the subject of concern in the context of the prevalence of smartphones among adolescents. To investigate the correlations between PMPU, FoMO and phubbing behaviour, and to determine the mediating effect of FoMO in relationship between PMPU and phubbing among late adolescents. The study was a cross-sectional correlational study carried out at Riphah international university, Islamabad, Pakistan, between January and December 2021. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 150 late adolescents (17-19 years). Standardized scales of PMPU, FoMO and phubbing behavior were used to collect the data. The statistical tests conducted were SPSS version 25, which consisted of Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analysis with bootstrapping (5000 samples) using Hayes PROCESS Macro (Model 4). Significant positive correlations were found between PMPU and FoMO (r = 0.33, p < 0.01), PMPU and phubbing (r = 0.35, p < 0.01), and FoMO and phubbing (r = 0.79, p < 0.01). The mediation analysis indicated that FoMO mediated the relationship between PMPU and phubbing (indirect effect = 0.187, 95% CI [0.121, 0.265]) with the direct effect becoming an insignificant value (β = 0.10), thus a full mediation effect. The relationship between PMPU and phubbing behavior among late adolescents is mediated by FoMO, which reflects its significance as a central psychological process that underlies the socially disruptive use of smartphones.