Kostiantyn Sydorenko THE CONCEPTION OF THE FEAR OF MISSING OUT PHENOMENON IN HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

(2026) Science and education, 3, 82-90. Odessa.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.24195/2414-4665-2026-3-9

Kostiantyn Sydorenko,
Postgraduate Student in Speciality C4 Psychology,
The State Institution “South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University
named after K. D. Ushynsky”,
26, Staroportofrankivska Str., Odesa, Ukraine,
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9848-9235

 

THE CONCEPTION OF THE FEAR OF MISSING OUT PHENOMENON IN HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

SUMMARY:

The relevance of the study is determined by the growing impact of the fear of missing out on the psychological state of higher education students, as well as by the lack of a structured understanding of this phenomenon in Ukrainian psychology. Despite the considerable body of accumulated empirical data, the construct remains fragmented, which points to the need to extend its theoretical foundation. The aim of the article is to substantiate an author’s conception of the fear of missing out as a processual formation and to construct its stadial-temporal model. Research methods: theoretical analysis, content analysis, comparison, systematisation and generalisation. Results: a stadial-temporal model of the fear of missing out has been developed, which reveals its semantic core and within which the construct is defined as a dynamic processual formation unfolding around a situation of life choice. The model comprises four stages: the anticipatory, the actual, the retrospective, and the stage of reflective integration. The second dimension of the model is the temporal orientation of the experience towards the past, the present or the future. Conclusions. The proposed model makes it possible to conceptualise the fear of missing out in a more structured way within the theoretical field, taking into account its temporal orientation, and to define the focus of psychological assistance aimed at facilitating the transition to the stage of reflective integration in the process of counselling. A promising direction for further research is the development of psychodiagnostic tools that will deepen the empirical study of this phenomenon.

KEYWORDS:

fear of missing out, FoMO, higher education students, stadial-temporal model, temporal orientation, processual approach, situation of choice

FULL TEXT:

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