Academic procrastination as a mediator linking fear of missing out and social phobia to smartphone addiction among university students: a structural model.

BACKGROUND

Smartphone addiction is increasing among university students, yet the psychological and behavioral mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain insufficiently understood. Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and social phobia are known predictors of problematic smartphone use, but the role of academic procrastination as a mediating mechanism has not been fully explored, particularly in Jordanian populations.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the mediating role of academic procrastination in linking FoMO and social phobia to smartphone addiction among Jordanian university students.

METHODS

A sample of 809 students (72.2% female; ages 19–22) completed validated versions of the FoMO Scale, Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), Academic Procrastination Scale, and Smartphone Addiction Scale. All instruments demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.809–0.958). Structural modeling using parallel multiple mediation analysis was employed to test direct and indirect effects.

RESULTS

The results showed that academic procrastination was the strongest direct predictor of smartphone addiction (β = 0.54, p < .001). FoMO (β = 0.24, p < .001) and social phobia (β = 0.06, p < .05) also showed significant direct effects. Academic procrastination significantly mediated the effects of FoMO (β = 0.1968, p < .001) and social phobia (β = 0.0564, p = .002) on smartphone addiction. Total effects indicated that FoMO had the strongest overall influence (β = 0.4373). The structural model explained 48.3% of the variance in smartphone addiction.

CONCLUSION

Findings identify academic procrastination as the key behavioral mechanism linking FoMO and social phobia to smartphone addiction among Jordanian university students. Interventions addressing procrastination and FoMO may reduce the risk of problematic smartphone use.