Neuroticism, Trait Fear of Missing Out, and Phubbing: The Mediating Role of State Fear of Missing Out and Problematic Instagram Use

One of the relatively new negative consequences of smartphone use is "phubbing" (snubbing someone while an individual checks their smartphone in the middle of a real-life conversation). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the direct and indirect associations of neuroticism, trait anxiety, and trait fear of missing out with phubbing via state fear of missing out and problematic Instagram use. A total of 423 adolescents and emerging adults aged between 14 and 21 years (53% female) participated in the study. Findings indicated that females had significantly higher scores of phubbing, fear of missing out, problematic Instagram use, trait anxiety, and neuroticism. Path analysis showed that trait fear of missing out and neuroticism were indirectly associated with phubbing via state fear of missing out and problematic Instagram use. State fear of missing out was directly and indirectly associated with phubbing via problematic Instagram use. The present study is the first to demonstrate empirical evidence for the relationship between different dimensions of fear of missing out, problematic Instagram use, and phubbing.