Prevalence and predictive factors of ‘Fear of Missing Out’ among medical students during the Covid-19 pandemic

Seabra, Daniel Brendon Melo Henriques; Oliveira, Glenda Ribeiro da Silva; Silva, Ruan Angel Silva e; Freitas, Ronilson Ferreira

doi:10.1590/1981-5271v48.3-2023-0292.ING

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE • Rev. bras. educ. med. 48 (03) • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-5271v48.3-2023-0292.ING copy

Prevalence and predictive factors of ‘Fear of Missing Out’ among medical students during the Covid-19 pandemic

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

The indiscriminate use of social networks is closely related to social anxiety, including Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), an expression in English that means the “fear of being left out”. This phenomenon is defined as a lasting apprehension that others may be having rewarding experiences from which the user is absent, and FoMO can be intensified in specific situations, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and predictive factors of Fear Of Missing Out among medical students from a federal public university in the Legal Amazon during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Method:

This is an analytical study, with a cross-sectional design and a quantitative approach. The data were obtained through an online questionnaire, made available to study participants through Google forms®, which addressed sociodemographic, economic, academic characteristics, lifestyle habits and health status. To assess FoMO, the Fear of Missing Out Scale was applied. For the statistical analysis, multivariate analysis was performed, and the crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and the 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated, with the significance level of 5% (p<0.05) being adopted for the final adjusted model.

Results:

185 students participated in the study, with 42.2% of respondents having FoMO during the Covid-19 pandemic. The predictive factors of FoMO included residing in student housing [PR 1.66 (95%CI 1.03 - 2.54); p = 0.037] and presence of symptoms of depression during the Covid-19 pandemic [PR 2.03 (95%CI 1.27 - 3.25); p = 0.003].

Conclusion:

The prevalence of FoMO among medical students from the assessed institution was high, and sociodemographic factors and health status remained associated with the investigated outcome. These findings indicate the need to implement emotional support strategies and promote the health and well-being of medical students, contributing to a more holistic and healthy approach in the training of future medical professionals, especially in public universities.

Keywords:
Student Health; Medical Education; Mental health; Covid-19; Epidemiology

Variables	n	%
Smoking
No	164	88,6
Yes	21	11,4
Alcohol consumption
No	72	38,9
Yes	113	61,1
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
Low	107	57.8
High	78	42.2
Health status
Very good/Good	68	36.8
Regular/Poor	117	63.2
Symptoms of Depression During the Pandemic
Absent	59	31.9
Present	126	68.1
Symptoms of Anxiety During the Pandemic
Absent	81	43.8
Present	104	56.2
Symptoms of stress During the Pandemic
Absent	61	33.0
Present	124	67.0
Body Mass Index
Normal weight	10	5.4
Underweight	91	49.2
Overweight/Obesity	84	45.4

Variables	Fear of Missing Out				p-value^* * Pearson’s chi-square test; p value = significance level at p < 0.20; avariables selected for the final model considering the significance level at p < 0.20.
Variables	Low		High
Sex
Female	56	54.4	47	45.6	0.284
Male	51	65.2	31	37.8
Religion
Yes	71	54.6	59	45.4	0.172^a * Pearson’s chi-square test; p value = significance level at p < 0.20; avariables selected for the final model considering the significance level at p < 0.20.
No	36	65.5	19	34.5
Marital status
With a steady partner	42	63.6	24	36.4	0.234
Without a steady partner	65	54.6	54	45.4
Family income
≥ 5 minimum wages	54	63.5	31	36.5	0.148^a * Pearson’s chi-square test; p value = significance level at p < 0.20; avariables selected for the final model considering the significance level at p < 0.20.
< 5 minimum wages	53	53.0	47	47.0
With whom they live
Parents or guardians	86	59.7	58	40.3
Student housing	04	36.4	07	63.6	0.163^a * Pearson’s chi-square test; p value = significance level at p < 0.20; avariables selected for the final model considering the significance level at p < 0.20.
Alone	17	56.7	13	43.3
Medical school Cycle
Basic/Clinical	84	55.6	67	44.4	0.200^a * Pearson’s chi-square test; p value = significance level at p < 0.20; avariables selected for the final model considering the significance level at p < 0.20.
Internship	23	67.6	11	32.4
Smoking
No	97	59.1	67	40.9	0.314
Yes	10	47.6	11	52.4
Alcohol consumption
No	43	59.7	29	40.3	0.679
Yes	64	56.6	49	43.4
Health status
Very good /Good	42	61.8	26	38.2	0.410
Regular/Poor	65	55.6	52	44.4
Symptoms of Depression During the Pandemic
Absent	44	74.6	15	25.4	0.002^a * Pearson’s chi-square test; p value = significance level at p < 0.20; avariables selected for the final model considering the significance level at p < 0.20.
Present	63	50.0	63	50.0
Symptoms of Anxiety During the Pandemic
Absent	58	71.6	23	28.4	0.001^a * Pearson’s chi-square test; p value = significance level at p < 0.20; avariables selected for the final model considering the significance level at p < 0.20.
Present	49	47.1	55	52.9
Symptoms of stress During the Pandemic
Absent	45	73.8	16	26.2	0.002^a * Pearson’s chi-square test; p value = significance level at p < 0.20; avariables selected for the final model considering the significance level at p < 0.20.
Present	62	50.0	62	50.0
Body Mass Index
Normal weight	04	40.0	06	60.0
Underweight	52	57.1	39	42.9	0.440
Overweight/Obesity	51	60.7	33	39.3

Variables	Fear of Missing Out
Variables	PR_crude(95%CI)	PR_adjusted (95%CI)
Sex
Female	1
Male	0.82 (0.58 - 1.17)
Religion
Yes	1
No	0.76 (0.50 - 1.14)
Marital status
With a steady partner	1
Without a steady partner	1.24 (0.85 - 1.81)
Family income
≥ 5 minimum wages	1
< 5 minimum wages	1.28 (0.90 - 1.82)
With whom they live
Parents or guardians	1	1
Student housing	1.58 (0.96 - 2.57)	1.61 (1.03 - 2.54)
Alone	1.07 (0.68 - 1.69)	1.03 (0.66 - 1.63)
Medical school Cycle
Basic/Clinical	1
Internship	0.72 (0.43 - 1.22)
Smoking
No	1
Yes	1.28 (0.82 - 2.00)
Alcohol consumption
No	1
Yes	1.07 (0.75 - 1.53)
Health status
Very good /Good	1
Regular/Poor	1.16 (0.80 - 1.67)
Symptoms of Depression During the Pandemic
Absent	1	1
Present	1.96 (1.22 - 3.14)	2.03 (1.27 - 3.25)
Symptoms of Anxiety During the Pandemic
Absent	1
Present	1.86 (1.26 - 2.75)
Symptoms of stress During the Pandemic
Absent	1
Present	1.90 (1.20 - 3.00)
Body Mass Index
Normal weight	1
Underweight	0.71 (0.40 - 1.24)
Overweight/Obesity	0.65 (0.37 - 1.16)

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[1] Chief Editor: Rosiane Viana Zuza Diniz. Associate Editor: Cristiane Barelli.