The relationship between relative deprivation and fear of missing out in college students: the role of self-regulatory fatigue and personal belief in a just world

Abstract

Background: Fear of missing out (FoMO) is a new type of anxiety disorder in the context of the Internet, which has a negative effects on the physical and mental health and behavior of college students, such as Internet addiction, non-adaptive socializing, and negative emotions. In order to investigate the effect of relative deprivation (RD) on FoMO of college students, this study conducted a moderated mediation model to examine the relationship between RD, FoMO, self-regulatory fatigue (SRF), and personal belief in a just world (BJW). Methods: A total of 956 college students were surveyed on a RD Questionnaire, SRF Scale, FoMO Scale, and Personal BJW Scale. Results: The results showed as follows: (1) College students’ RD positively predicted FoMO and SRF. (2) SRF partially mediated the link between RD and FoMO. (3) Personal BJW moderated the relationship between RD and FoMO, that is, when personal BJW is high, RD has a stronger predictive effect on SRF. Conclusion: The results of this study help to reveal the influence and mechanism of RD of college students on FoMO. The results also show that reducing college students’ RD, improving self-control ability, and cultivating rational personal BJW can effectively prevent FoMO.