The relationship between trait mindfulness and problematic smartphone use: the serial mediation role of difficulties with emotion regulation and fear of missing out.
Sergio Hidalgo-Fuentes, Isabel Martínez-Álvarez, Elisa González-Pérez, Fátima Llamas-Salguero
Psychology, Health & Medicine September 8, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2026.2731629 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preregistered cross-sectional survey with serial mediation modelling Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 406 |
| Population | Spanish university students |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Emotion regulation Mediation Trait mindfulness Problematic smartphone use |
| Key findings | Trait mindfulness was negatively associated with problematic smartphone use, and fear of missing out significantly mediated this link, while emotion-regulation difficulties did not mediate it directly. A significant serial pathway ran from higher trait mindfulness to fewer emotion-regulation difficulties, then to lower FOMO, and finally to reduced problematic smartphone use. |
Abstract
Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has emerged as a widespread behavioural concern, particularly among university students. The present study employed a preregistered design to ensure analytic transparency and confirmatory hypothesis testing, examining a serial mediation model under which difficulties with emotion regulation and fear of missing out (FOMO) explain the association between trait mindfulness and PSU in a sample of 406 Spanish university students. Participants completed validated self-report measures of trait mindfulness, emotion-regulation difficulties, FOMO and PSU. Data were analysed using correlation analyses and serial mediation modelling with bootstrapping procedures. The results reveal a negative association between trait mindfulness and PSU, supporting its role as a protective factor. FOMO emerged as a significant mediator in this relationship, whereas difficulties with emotion regulation did not have a significant direct mediating effect. However, a significant serial mediation pathway was identified: Higher levels of trait mindfulness were associated with fewer emotion-regulation difficulties, which, in turn, predicted lower FOMO, ultimately giving way to reduced PSU. This study contributes to a more integrative understanding of PSU by identifying key mediating mechanisms and supporting the development of interventions targeting mindfulness, emotion regulation, and FOMO in university populations.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for the Treatment of Substance and Behavioral Addictions: A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychiatry March 29, 2018
- Emotion Regulation as a Mechanism of Mindfulness in Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Disorders. Depression and Anxiety 2024
- Effectiveness of brief online mindfulness-based intervention on different types of mobile phone addiction: mechanisms of influence of trait mindfulness Frontiers in Psychology February 17, 2025
- The correlation between mindfulness and problematic smartphone use: A meta-analysis. Addictive Behaviors February 1, 2025
and 3 more in the library