Background and Aims: The widespread use of social media on smartphones has lead to the fear of missing out (FoMO) and smartphone addiction among a minority of adolescents and adults. However, few studies have investigated the impact of trait affect on sleep quality via FoMO and smartphone addiction. The present study examined whether FoMO (trait-FoMO and state-FoMO) and smartphone addiction mediated the relationship between positive affect (PA)/negative affect (NA) and sleep quality, and the prevalence of sleep disturbance among Chinese university students. Methods: The sample comprised 1,164 university students and they completed a survey which included the Chinese Trait-State Fear of Missing Out Scale (T-SFoMOS-C), Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI), International Positive and Negative Affect Scale Short-Form (I-PANAS-SF), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: The prevalence of sleep disturbance was found to be 15.98% among Chinese university students. The serial multiple mediation effects indicated that PA directly impacted on sleep quality, but the mediation effects of trait-FoMO and state-FoMO were not found. NA impacted on sleep quality via the mediation effects of trait-FoMO/state-FoMO and smartphone addiction. Conclusion: Negative affect was positively associated with poor sleep quality, which was partially mediated by FoMO and smartphone addiction among Chinese university students. Individuals with high negative affect were more likely to have high levels of FoMO and were more prone to smartphone addiction as well as experiencing poor sleep quality. These findings provide an evidence base for emotion management, prevention of smartphone addiction, and sleep improvement.

The role of fear of missing out (FoMO) in addictive behaviors has recently attracted growing attention. In view of negative effects of gaming disorder (GD) among adolescents and emerging adults, research examining the relationship between FoMO and GD is needed, alongside the roles of impulsivity and gender in the relationship between FoMO and GD. This study examined whether impulsivity as a mediator and gender as a moderator impacted on the relationship between FoMO and GD among a sample of Chinese university students. A sample of 1,288 Chinese university students from three universities completed an online survey through the Wenjuanxing platform. The Chinese Trait-State Fear of Missing Out Scale, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Brief, and the Chinese Gaming Disorder Scale were used in this study. The model results indicated that impulsivity partially mediated the relationship between FoMO and GD, and that there was a larger effect size between impulsivity and GD among males. High levels of FoMO among individuals may impact on executive functions leading to more impulsivity, and are associated with GD. Gender may moderate the relationship between impulsivity and GD. This study deepens the understanding of the relationship between FoMO and GD, and provides new perspectives for practitioners to incorporate into health prevention programs to help regulate emotion, control impulsivity, and decrease GD.

Research into the fear of missing out (FoMO) has greatly increased in recent years. Given the negative consequences of gaming disorder (GD) among a small minority of individuals, there is an increa...