Fear of Missing Out and Aggression: Role of Fatigue, Daytime Sleepiness and Self-regulation-A Serial Mediation Model

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a recent psychological phenomenon and has been constantly linked with aggression, disturbed sleeping habits and deficits in self-regulatory skills. It is important to understand the mechanism through which FOMO influences sleepiness, self-regulation and aggression.

The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between FOMO and aggression in young adults and examine the mediating roles of fatigue, daytime sleepiness and self-regulation in the relationship between FOMO and aggression.

A cross-sectional correlational research design was employed to collect data from 455 young adults aged 18-24 years (M = 20.71; SD = 1.61). Data were collected through standardised self-report measures. The obtained data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences v23, and sequential mediation analysis using AMOS v22.

Findings indicated significant relationships between FOMO and the outcome variables like aggression, daytime sleepiness and self-regulation. However, no significant relationship was found between FOMO and fatigue; therefore, fatigue was not considered for further analysis. Sequential mediation analysis revealed that elevated levels of FOMO predicted lower daytime sleepiness (β = -0.26, p < .001), which in turn predicted low self-regulation (β = -0.39, p < .001) and consequently led to elevated levels of aggression (β = -0.26, p < .001). The indirect route (FOMO → sleepiness → self-regulation → aggression) was statistically significant with excellent model fit (χ²(2) = 3.86, RMSEA = 0.02, CFI = 0.99, SRMR = 0.01).

The study indicates a full sequential mediation: greater FOMO levels reduce daytime sleepiness, possibly due to heightened arousal, which in turn leads to poor self-regulatory skills and increased aggression. It can be concluded that psychological interventions to improve self-regulation can help manage aggression in people with high levels of FOMO.