Relationship between Fear of Missing Out, Boredom Proneness and Phubbing among University Students

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the relationship between Fear of missing out, boredom proneness and phubbing among university students, predictive role of Fear of missing out and boredom proneness on phubbing and gender differences. Phubbing which involves ignoring others in favor of one’s phone, especially common among students and is the result of factors like Fear of missing out and boredom proneness. A survey method was used to collect data from 300 university students as part of a quantitative, correlational study design. Purposive sampling was used to select participants, whose demographics included age, CGPA,degree year, social media usage(per hour) and gender. The study utilized the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOS) (Przybylski et al., 2013), the Short Form Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS) (Struk et al., 2017), and the Generic Scale of Phubbing (GSP) (Chotpitayasunondh & Douglas, 2018). The GSP includes four subscales: nomophobia, interpersonal conflict, self-isolation, and problem acknowledgment. Results confirmed significant relationships between Fear of missing out, boredom proneness, and phubbing. Pearson product-moment correlation showed a significant positive relationship between FoMO and phubbing with its subscales similarly boredom proneness showed significant positive relationship with phubbing including its subscales (nomophobia, interpersonal conflict, self-isolation, and problem acknowledgment). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that both FoMO and boredom proneness were significant positive predictors of phubbing According to correlation significant negative correlation was shown between CGPA and FoMO. Social media usage per hour was positively correlated with both FoMO and phubbing. These results show the significant role of FoMO and boredom proneness in predicting phubbing behaviors among university students. The study highlights the need for interventions to address these psychological factors, which could mitigate phubbing and its social consequences. By introducing awareness programs about FOMO and phubbing as well as encouraging more interesting ways to learn and help students avoid feeling bored, phubbing behavior can be reduced.