Moderated-mediation analysis of problematic social networking use: The role of anxious attachment orientation, fear of missing out and satisfaction with life

Anxious attachment orientation has a well document relationship with problematic social networking use. Additionally, the fear of missing out and satisfaction with life have emerged as robust predictors of problematic social networking use. However, it remains unclear how these determinants may converge to promote problematic social networking use. Thus, the current study examined how anxious attachment, fear of missing out, and satisfaction with life concurrently influence problematic social networking use. One hundred and eighty-eight participants were recruited from online dissertation swap sites to complete an online questionnaire. The mean age of the sample was 31.95 (SD = 11.54) and 67% were female. As expected, anxious attachment was positively related to problematic social networking use. Further analysis indicated the relationship between anxious attachment and problematic social networking use was mediated by fear of missing out, and this relationship was moderated by satisfaction with life. These findings indicate that engendering greater levels of life satisfaction in those who engage in problematic social networking could present a viable prevention or treatment strategy.