Addressing FoMO and telepressure among university students: Could a technology intervention help with social media use and sleep disruption?

Publication date: Available online 11 December 2018Source: Computers in Human BehaviorAuthor(s): Arielle P. Rogers, Larissa K. BarberAbstractThe fear of missing out (FoMO) and telepressure are two individual difference characteristics linked to increased technology and social media use. FoMO and telepressure have also been linked to negative health outcomes among university students, including poor sleep hygiene. In a sample of 97 university students we tested the potential buffering effects of a sleep and technology educational intervention on relations among FoMO and telepressure and sleep hygiene, social media use, and sleep-disruptive technology use (i.e., technology use before and during sleep). At time one, students were administered either a sleep hygiene intervention, a sleep hygiene plus technology education intervention, or information regarding sleep with no intervention (i.e., a control group). Students also completed a series of self-report measures assessing technology use before sleep, technology use during sleep, social media use, and sleep hygiene. There were no differences between conditions at post-intervention in any outcome variable. However, we found relations among FoMO and social media use were weaker for individuals in both intervention conditions. Our findings have implications for the improvement of health and well-being among students particularly prone to problematic technology use.
Source: Computers in Human Behavior - Category: Information Technology Source Type: research