The relationship between basic psychological needs and phubbing: Fear of missing out as the mediator

The aim of this study was to find out the association between basic psychological needs, fear of missing out (FOMO) and phubbing (also known as phone snub) in university students with problematic smartphone use. Through the purposive sampling technique, a sample of 240 participants (men, M-age = 20.93 years, SD = 1.07 years; women, M-age = 20.76 years, SD = 0.89 years) was recruited from two private and two government university sectors of Lahore, Pakistan. Results were generated by using Multiple Hierarchical Regression, and Amos Path Analysis. The study depicted that psychological needs and FOMO emerged as predictors of phubbing. Furthermore, it was supported that fear of missing out acted as a mediator between psychological needs and phubbing. The findings of the study have yielded vital implications as a thorough understanding of problematic smartphone use will help raise awareness and educate the youth about its detrimental effects.