The relationship between problematic smartphone use and fear of missing out: a meta-analysis

Problematic smartphone use has become a global problem with wide repercussions in mental health. The objective of this meta-analysis is to examine the relationship between problematic smartphone use and fear of missing out. A bibliographic search was carried out using the PsycInfo, Web of Science and PubMed databases, recovering a total of 32 articles that met the inclusion criteria with a total sample of 26077 participants. The effect size obtained using a random effects model is significant and positive (Zr = 0.47). The meta -regression analysis showed that sex and age are not statistically significative moderating variables. No evidence of publication bias was obtained. Those subjects who show higher scores of problematic smartphone use also have higher levels of fear of missing out. The limitations of the work are presented and their implications are discussed. The need to continue investigating the relationship between the two variables, especially through longitudinal studies is indicated.