AI Insight
This cross-sectional study of 399 esports players in Turkey examined relationships between digital stress, fear of missing out (FoMO), and life satisfaction. Results showed a strong positive association between digital stress and FoMO, and a small, borderline statistically significant indirect association between digital stress and life satisfaction operating through FoMO. The direct relationship between digital stress and life satisfaction was not significant when FoMO was included in the model, though discriminant validity concerns suggest the constructs may overlap substantially.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that FoMO may be a relevant psychological mechanism linking digital stress to well-being outcomes in populations with intensive digital engagement like esports players. However, the cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions, and the borderline statistical significance combined with discriminant validity issues indicates these relationships require further investigation through longitudinal and experimental research before practical interventions can be confidently designed.
Understand the Science
BackgroundDigital stress and fear of missing out (FoMO) may be relevant to psychological well-being in esports players who engage in intensive and continuous digital interaction. However, the statistical association between digital stress and life satisfaction and the potential role of FoMO in this association remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to examine the indirect association between digital stress and life satisfaction through FoMO among esports players.MethodsA quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design was employed. Data were collected through an online survey from 399 esports players living in Kayseri, Türkiye. Participants completed a personal information form, the Life Satisfaction Scale, the Multidimensional Digital Stress Scale, and the Fear of Missing Out in Social Situations Scale. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were calculated to examine bivariate associations among the study variables. An indirect-association model (structurally equivalent to Hayes’ Model 4) was estimated in jamovi (medmod module) to examine whether FoMO statistically accounted for the association between digital stress and life satisfaction. The indirect effect was evaluated using 5,000 bootstrap resamples and a percentile 95% confidence interval; path coefficients are unstandardized regression estimates. Sensitivity and discriminant-validity analyses were added in R.ResultsDigital stress was strongly and positively associated with FoMO (ρ = 0.717, p < 0.001), while FoMO was weakly and positively associated with life satisfaction (ρ = 0.203, p < 0.001). Digital stress was also weakly and positively associated with life satisfaction (ρ = 0.193, p < 0.001). A small indirect association of digital stress with life satisfaction through FoMO was observed (B = 0.057; 95% CI [0.002, 0.118]; [−0.0001, 0.117] with 20,000 resamples in R), so its significance was borderline, whereas the direct effect was not statistically significant after FoMO was included in the model (B = 0.025, p = 0.443). The estimate was similar without overlapping items (standardized a × b = 0.15–0.17), but discriminant validity was only partly supported (latent r = 0.80–0.89).ConclusionThe findings indicate a small, borderline indirect association between digital stress and life satisfaction through FoMO among esports players. FoMO may therefore be a relevant variable to consider in the relationship between digital stress and life satisfaction in this population, although the result was not robust. However, because of the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than evidence of temporal or causal relationships. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to further clarify the relationships among digital stress, FoMO, and life satisfaction.