Dark Triad of Personality and Problematic Smartphone Use: A Preliminary Study on the Mediating Role of Fear of Missing Out.

Rocco Servidio,Mark D Griffiths,Zsolt Demetrovics

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168463

Abstract

The present study examined whether the relationship between the Dark Triad (DT) of personality and problematic smartphone use (PSU) can be explained by the mediating role of fear of missing out (FoMO). The role of FoMO in this relationship has yet to be examined. A total of 457 participants completed an online survey. Results indicated that males scored high on measures assessing DT of personality, while females scored high on PSU. Structural equation modelling showed that narcissism was directly associated with PSU. FoMO partially mediated the association between narcissism and PSU. Machiavellianism and narcissism were directly associated with FoMO. In the fully mediated model, narcissism (but not Machiavellianism) was still associated with FoMO, and in turn, FoMO was related to PSU. Although preliminary, the results of the present study indicated that Machiavellianism and narcissism might represent antecedents of FoMO, in addition to the Big Five personality traits, and both could be involved in the development of PSU.

Highlights

Despite the positive advantages of smartphones, their over-use can have detrimental effects on a minority of individuals
The results indicated that females scored higher on problematic smartphone use (PSU) and daily social media use than males, while males reported higher scores on all the Dark Triad (DT) of personality traits, as well as on the fear of missing out (FoMO)
FoMO and PSU accounted for 40% and 30% of the variance, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Despite the positive advantages of smartphones, their over-use can have detrimental effects on a minority of individuals (see [1], for a review). It has been suggested that PSU shares some commonalities with the construct of internet-use disorder, since smartphones are the most common way for individuals to access online social media applications [3]. Given the wide utilization of smartphones among the general population, there are still some concerning findings that have led researchers to investigate why some individuals are more disposed to develop a risk of addiction to these technologies than others.

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion