Fear of missing out and neck disability: The indirect association through postural attention in social media users

Background Despite widespread digital device use, the relationships of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) with postural awareness and neck disability remain poorly understood. Objective This study examined the associations among FoMO, postural awareness, and neck disability, testing whether an indirect association existed through the need for attention regulation in posture. Method A cross-sectional study included 1634 young adult social media users aged 18–25 years. Data were collected using the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMO), the Postural Awareness Scale (PAS) (sub-dimensions: Need for Attention Regulation with Postural Awareness-NARPA and Ease/Familiarity with Postural Awareness-EFPA), and the Neck Disability Index (NDI). Pain intensity and psychological distress were recorded as covariates. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro. Results Hierarchical regression analysis showed that FoMO was independently associated with neck disability, accounting for an additional 5.8% of the variance (Δ R 2 = .058, p < .001), even after controlling for pain intensity and psychological distress. While NARPA was a significant predictor of NDI ( β = −.107, p < .001), EFPA was not ( β = .012, p > .05). Mediation analysis indicated a statistically significant indirect effect of FoMO on NDI through NARPA (Indirect effect = .0098; 95% CI [.0053, .0150]). Conclusions Higher FoMO was independently associated with greater neck disability, with a significant indirect association through NARPA. Findings suggest that a greater need for conscious cognitive effort in posture may link FoMO to neck disability among young adult social media users. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish temporal causality.