The Relationship Between Loneliness and the Overuse of WeChat Among Chinese Elderly: The Chain Mediation Role of Sensation Seeking and Fear of Missing Out

The findings reveal that loneliness, sensation seeking and FoMO and problematic mobile phone use (WeChat) are interconnected; (ii) sensation seeking and FoMO are the two important intermediary mechanisms between loneliness and problematic mobile phone use; and (iii) sensation seeking and FoMO can act as mediators in the relationship between loneliness and problematic mobile phone use among the elderly. In the difference test of demographic variables, it was found that women had more WeChat overuse behavior than men, and urban residents demonstrated significantly higher levels of overuse than their township residents. The study has revealed the psychological mechanism between loneliness and problematic mobile phone use among the elderly, which provides guiding suggestions for the prevention and intervention of such behaviors in the elderly.