FOMO leading to problem drinking among university students

Students with high levels of FOMO were far more likely to have negative consequences from boozing. Photo / iStock

It's a buzzword you might have heard before, but FOMO, or "fear of missing out" has been cited as a major reason for problem drinking in a new university study.

The University of Otago said students with high levels of FOMO were far more likely than less FOMO-afflicted peers to have negative consequences from boozing.

The university's psychology department set up a 10-item FOMO scale asking people how strongly they agreed with statements such as "when I miss out on a planned get-together it bothers me" and "I fear others have more rewarding experiences than me".

The university said 432 students took a psychometric test to measure FOMO levels, and completed an alcohol consequences questionnaire.

In the first study, students were then asked about alcohol use over the preceding 30 days, and in the second study reported alcohol use on a daily basis over a fortnight.

Jayde Flett, a Department of Psychology PhD candidate and the study's co-author, said people scoring highly on the FOMO scale reported twice as many cases of alcohol-related negative consequences over the past three months than those scoring low on the trait.

"In both studies, participants higher in FOMO were more likely to have reported 'feeling badly about myself', having 'said embarrassing things', or 'done impulsive things that I later regretted' when drinking," Ms Flett added.

"Additionally, they were more likely to have had 'less energy', 'had a hangover', or have 'not remembered stretches of the night'."

In the second study, which had a broader sample than the first, those higher in FOMO were more likely to have 'taken foolish risks when drinking', 'become rude or obnoxious', and 'drunk alcohol on nights that they had not planned'.

"FOMO refers to the uneasy and often all-consuming sense that friends or others are having rewarding experiences from which one is absent," the university said.

"It is characterised by a desire to remain socially connected and may manifest itself as a form of social anxiety."

Ms Flett and her co-authors said the study showed it might be important to address social factors such as FOMO in order to reduce alcohol-related harm among the student population.

Meanwhile, an Otago study confirmed a strong link between drinking alcohol and occasional smoking among New Zealand university students.

The Cancer Society said the study found that although daily smoking had decreased, casual or social smoking had increased, and alcohol was fuelling this trend.

Dr Louise Marsh, from the Cancer Society's Social and Behavioural Research Unit at the University of Otago, claimed alcohol settings allowed smoking to be modelled as "accepted and normal" behaviour.

"This finding is consistent with international research and highlights the need to address settings that allow combined use of tobacco and alcohol," Dr Marsh said.