Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Advertisement

Scientific Reports
  • View all journals
  • Search
  • My Account Login
  • Content Explore content
  • About the journal
  • Publish with us
  • Sign up for alerts
  • RSS feed
  1. nature
  2. scientific reports
  3. articles
  4. article
Psychological distress and problematic social media use among Moroccan youth mediated by fear of missing out and social media engagement
Download PDF
Download PDF
  • Article
  • Open access
  • Published: 10 February 2026

Psychological distress and problematic social media use among Moroccan youth mediated by fear of missing out and social media engagement

  • Samira Abbouyi1,
  • Samira Bouazza1 &
  • Btissame Zarrouq1,2 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

  • 748 Accesses

  • Metrics details

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Health care
  • Psychology

Abstract

Problematic social media use (PSMU) is an increasing global concern, especially among adolescents and young adults, because of its associations with adverse mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and stress. While much research has been conducted in Western contexts, little is known about PSMU in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly in Morocco. This study estimated PSMU prevalence among Moroccan adolescents and young adults and examined its psychosocial correlates, focusing on psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress), and tested whether fear of missing out (FoMO) and social media engagement (SME) mediate these relationships. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with N = 2202 adolescents and young adults (1298 females (58.95%), 904 males (41.05%) ; aged 14–23 years). Validated instruments were used to assess PSMU (BSMAS), depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21), FoMO, and SME. Statistical analyses included descriptive analyses, correlations, and multiple mediation models. PSMU prevalence was 25.5%, (95% CI [23.7%, 27.3%]) and was higher among females, older adolescents and young adults, urban residents, and participants with lower socioeconomic status. Psychological distress positively associated with PSMU symptoms (BSMAS total), and FoMO and SME partially mediated these associations. The SEM model explained 35% of the variance in PSMU (R² = 0.35). PSMU is highly prevalent among Moroccan adolescents and young adults and was associated with psychological distress, sociodemographic characteristics, and behavioral mediators such as FoMO and SME. These findings highlight the need for culturally tailored prevention and intervention programs to promote healthier social media behaviors and enhance adolescent well-being.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

B:

unstandardized regression coefficient

β:

standardized regression coefficient

CFI:

Comparative Fit Index

DASS-21:

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (21 items)

FoMO:

fear of missing out

GFI:

Goodness of Fit Index

IFI:

Incremental Fit Index

M:

mean

MENA:

Middle East and North Africa

PSMU:

Problematic social media use

RMSEA:

Root Mean Square Error of Approximation

SD:

standard deviation

SE:

standard error

SME:

social media engagement

SRMR:

Standardized Root Mean Square Residual

TLI:

Tucker-Lewis Index

References

  1. Nesi, J., Choukas-Bradley, S. & Prinstein, M. J. Transformation of adolescent peer relations in the social media context: part 1-A theoretical framework and application to dyadic peer relationships. Clin. Child. Fam Psychol. Rev. Sept. 21 (3), 267–294 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Best, P., Manktelow, R. & Taylor, B. Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review. Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 1 Juin. 41, 27–36 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Uhls, Y. T., Ellison, N. B. & Subrahmanyam, K. Benefits and costs of social media in adolescence. Pediatr. Nov. 140 (Suppl 2), S67–70 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Keles, B., McCrae,Niall & Grealish, A. A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. Int. J. Adolescence Youth 31 déc. 25 (1), 79–93 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Vannucci, A., Flannery, K. M. & Ohannessian, C. M. Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. J. Affect. Disord 1 Janv. 207, 163–166 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Dew, M. A., Escobar-Viera, C. G. & Primack, B. A. Social media use and depression and anxiety symptoms: a cluster analysis. Am. J. Health Behav. 1 Mars. 42 (2), 116–128 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Bányai, F. et al. Problematic sle. PLOS ONE. 9 janv. ;12(1):e0169839. (2017).

  8. Kircaburun, K., Alhabash, S., Tosuntaş, Ş. B. & Griffiths, M. D. Uses and gratifications of problematic social media use among university students: a simultaneous examination of the big five of personality Traits, social media Platforms, and social media use motives. Int. J. Ment Health Addict. 1 Juin. 18 (3), 525–547 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Peng, P. & Liao, Y. Six addiction components of problematic social media use in relation to depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms: a latent profile analysis and network analysis. BMC Psychiatry 8 Mai. 23 (1), 321 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Andreassen, C. S., Pallesen, S. & Griffiths, M. D. The relationship between addictive use of social media, narcissism, and self-esteem: findings from a large National survey. Addict. Behav. 1 Janv. 64, 287–293 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Montag, C., Yang, H. & Elhai, J. D. On the psychology of TikTok use: A first glimpse from empirical findings. Front. Public. Health. Mars. 16 (9), (2021).

  12. Hawi, N. S. & Samaha, M. The relations among social media Addiction, Self-Esteem, and life satisfaction in university students. Soc. Sci. Comput. Rev. oct. 35 (5), 576–586 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Karadağ, E. et al. Determinants of phubbing, which is the sum of many virtual addictions: a structural equation model. J. Behav. Addict. Juin. 4 (2), 60–74 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Orben, A., Dienlin, T. & Przybylski, A. Social media’s enduring effect on adolescent life satisfaction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 6 mai. ;116:201902058. (2019).

  15. Twenge, J. M., Martin, G. N. & Spitzberg, B. H. Trends in U.S. Adolescents’ media use, 1976–2016: the rise of digital media, the decline of TV, and the (near) demise of print. Psychol. Popular Media Cult. 8 (4), 329–345 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Du, M. et al. Association between problematic social networking use and anxiety symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychol. 12 Mai. 12 (1), 263 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Verduyn, P., Ybarra, O., Résibois, M., Jonides, J. & Kross, E. Do social network sites enhance or undermine subjective Well-Being? A critical review. Social Issues Policy Rev. 11 (1), 274–302 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Blackwell, D., Leaman, C., Tramposch, R., Osborne, C. & Liss, M. Extraversion, neuroticism, attachment style and fear of missing out as predictors of social media use and addiction. Personality Individual Differences 1 oct. 116, 69–72 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R. & Gladwell, V. Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers Hum. Behav. 1 Juill. 29 (4), 1841–1848 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Servidio, R., Soraci, P., Griffiths, M. D., Boca, S. & Demetrovics, Z. Fear of missing out and problematic social media use: A serial mediation model of social comparison and self-esteem. Addict. Behav. Rep. Juin. 19, 100536 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Benhadj, Y. An investigation of social media addiction among Moroccan adolescent students. Int. J. Social Sci. Hum. Res. 1 (6), (2023).

  22. Razkane, H., Sayeh, A. Y. & Yeou, M. Internet use among Moroccan secondary school students: an exploratory study. 28 Janv. 5, 51–77 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Arahal, S. Investigating the psychological effects of social networking sites among high school students from Zagora directorate of Education, Morocco. Int. J. Social Sci. Hum. Res. 15 (6), (2024).

  24. Sawyer, S. M., Azzopardi, P. S., Wickremarathne, D. & Patton, G. C. The age of adolescence. Lancet Child. Adolesc. Health 1 Mars. 2 (3), 223–228 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Abiddine, F. Z. E. et al. M. The Psychometric properties of the arabic bergen social media addiction scale. Int J Ment Health Addiction. 6 mai ; (2024).

  26. Andreassen, C. S., Torsheim, T., Brunborg, G. S. & Pallesen, S. Development of a Facebook addiction scale. Psychol. Rep. Avr. 110 (2), 501–517 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Al-Menayes, J. Psychometric properties and validation of the Arabic social media addiction scale. J. Addict. 2015 (1), 291743 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Al-Menayes, J. The fear of missing out scale: validation of the Arabic version and correlation with social media addiction. Int. J. Appl. Psychol. 25 Avr. 2016, 41–46 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Ali, A. M. et al. The Arabic version of the depression anxiety stress scale-21: cumulative scaling and discriminant-validation testing. Asian J. Psychiatry 1 déc. 30, 56–58 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Lovibond, P. F. & Lovibond, S. H. The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the depression anxiety stress scales (DASS) with the Beck depression and anxiety inventories. Behav. Res. Ther. Mars. 33 (3), 335–343 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Bollen, K. A. & Long, J. S. Tests for structural equation models: introduction. Sociol. Methods Res. 1 Nov. 21 (2), 123–131 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Hu, L. & Bentler, P. M. Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct. Equation Modeling: Multidisciplinary J. 1 Janv. 6 (1), 1–55 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Kline, R. B. Principles and practice of structural equation modeling, 4th ed. New York, NY, US: Guilford Press; xvii, 534 p. (Principles and practice of structural equation modeling, 4th ed). (2016).

  34. Hooper, D., Coughlan, J. & Mullen, M. R. Structural equation modelling: guidelines for determining model fit. Electron. J. Bus. Res. Methods 1 Sept. 6 (1), pp53–60 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  35. Marsh, H. W. & Hocevar, D. Application of confirmatory factor analysis to the study of self-concept: First- and higher order factor models and their invariance across groups. Psychol. Bull. 97 (3), 562–582 (1985).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Cohen, J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 2e éd. New York: Routledge; 567 p. (2013).

  37. Caner, N., Efe, Y. S. & Başdaş, Ö. The contribution of social media addiction to adolescent LIFE: social appearance anxiety. Curr. Psychol. 41 (12), 8424–8433 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Lin, C. Y., Broström, A., Nilsen, P., Griffiths, M. D. & Pakpour, A. H. Psychometric validation of the Persian Bergen social media addiction scale using classic test theory and Rasch models. J. Behav. Addict. 1 déc. 6 (4), 620–629 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Meng, S. Q. et al. Global prevalence of digital addiction in general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin. Psychol. Rev. Mars. 92, 102128 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  40. Hussain, Z. & Griffiths, M. D. Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of recent large-scale studies. Front. Psychiatry 14 (9), (2018).

  41. Pantic, I. et al. Association between online social networking and depression in high school students: behavioral physiology viewpoint. Psychiatr Danub Mars. 24 (1), 90–93 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  42. O’Keeffe, G. S. & Clarke-Pearson, K. Council on communications and media. The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Pediatr. 1 Avr. 127 (4), 800–804 (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  43. Blakemore, S. J. Avoiding social risk in adolescence. Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 1 Avr. 27 (2), 116–122 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  44. Turel, O., He, Q., Xue, G., Xiao, L. & Bechara, A. Examination of neural systems sub-serving facebook addiction. Psychological reports. 9 déc. ;115. (2014).

  45. Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R. & Halliwell, E. Social comparisons on social media: the impact of Facebook on young women’s body image concerns and mood. Body Image 1 Mars. 13, 38–45 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Costello, N. et al. Algorithms, addiction, and adolescent mental health: an interdisciplinary study to inform state-level policy action to protect youth from the dangers of social media. Am. J. Law Med. Juill. 49 (2–3), 135–172 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  47. Elhai, J. D., Levine, J. C., Dvorak, R. D. & Hall, B. J. Fear of missing out, need for touch, anxiety and depression are related to problematic smartphone use. Computers Hum. Behav. 1 oct. 63, 509–516 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  48. Lian, S. L. et al. Family cohesion and adaptability reduces mobile phone addiction: the mediating and moderating roles of automatic thoughts and peer attachment. Front. Psychol. 15 (14), (2023).

  49. Kuss, D. J. & Griffiths, M. D. Social networking sites and addiction: ten lessons learned. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health Mars. 14 (3), 311 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Valkenburg, P. M. Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model. In: The International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology [Internet]. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; [cité 20 déc 2024]. pp. 1–6. Disponible sur: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/ (2020). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0122

  51. Olalere, J. & Olatokun, W. Does parenting style influence children’s use of social media? Observations from a Faith-based secondary School, Ibadan, Nigeria. 14, (2020).

  52. Frison, E. & Eggermont, S. The impact of daily stress on adolescents’ depressed mood: the role of social support seeking through Facebook. Computers Hum. Behav. 1 Mars. 44, 315–325 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  53. Przybylski, A. K. & Weinstein, N. A Large-scale test of the goldilocks hypothesis: quantifying the relations between digital-screen use and the mental well-being of adolescents. Psychol. Sci. 1 févr. 28 (2), 204–215 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  54. Abbouyi, S., Bouazza, S., El Kinany, S., El Rhazi, K. & Zarrouq, B. Depression and anxiety and its association with problematic social media use in the MENA region: a systematic review. Egypt. J. Neurol. Psychiatry Neurosurg. 1 févr. 60 (1), 15 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  55. Marinoni, C. et al. Social media, online gaming, and cyberbullying during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mediation effect of time spent online. Adolescents 17 Juin. 4 (2), 297–310 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  56. Kardefelt-Winther, D. A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research: towards a model of compensatory internet use. Comput. Hum. Behav. 31, 351–354 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  57. Marinoni, C., Trombetta, T., Negri, R. & Zanetti, M. A. The role of parental mediation in cybervictimization among adolescents: a systematic review. Int. J. Bullying Prev. 30, 1–20, (2024).

  58. Baker, Z., Krieger, H. & LeRoy, A. Fear of missing out: relationships with depression, mindfulness, and physical symptoms. Translational Issues Psychol. Sci. 1 Sept. 2, 275–282 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  59. Rozgonjuk, D., Sindermann, C., Elhai, J. D. & Montag, C. nov. Fear of missing out (FoMO) and social media’s impact on daily-life and productivity at work: do WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat use disorders mediate that association? Addict behav. 110:106487. (2020).

  60. Alshakhsi, S., Babiker, A., Montag, C. & Ali, R. On the association between personality, fear of missing out (FoMO) and problematic social media use tendencies in European and Arabian samples. Acta Physiol. 1 oct. 240, 104026 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  61. Marino, C., Gini, G., Vieno, A. & Spada, M. M. A comprehensive meta-analysis on problematic Facebook use. Computers Hum. Behav. 1 Juin. 83, 262–277 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  62. Arrivillaga, C., Rey, L. & Extremera, N. A mediated path from emotional intelligence to problematic social media use in adolescents: the serial mediation of perceived stress and depressive symptoms. Addict. Behav. 1 août. 124, 107095 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  63. Kircaburun, K. & Griffiths, M. Instagram addiction and the big five of personality: the mediating role of self-liking. J. Behav. Addictions 20 (7), (2018).

  64. Sural, I., Griffiths, M. D., Kircaburun, K. & Emirtekin, E. Trait emotional intelligence and problematic social media use among emerging adults: the mediating role of psychosocial factors and social media use motives. Int. J. Mental Health Addict., (2019). Epub ahead of print. .

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to all the adolescents and young adults who voluntarily participated in this study and shared their valuable time and experiences. We also extend our sincere thanks to the school staff, teachers, and administrators who facilitated data collection. Additionally, we acknowledge the support of our research team who contributed to the design, implementation, and analysis of this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Epidemiology and Research in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dental Medicine, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco

    Samira Abbouyi, Samira Bouazza & Btissame Zarrouq

  2. Laboratory of Scientific Innovation in Sustainability, Environment, Education, and Health in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, Teachers Training College (Ecole Normale Superieure), Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco

    Btissame Zarrouq

Authors
  1. Samira Abbouyi
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Samira Bouazza
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Btissame Zarrouq
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

SA has been involved in the conception and design of the study, data acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data, and manuscript drafting; SB has contributed to the conception and design of the study, and acquisition of data; BZ has contributed to the conception and design of the study, and the acquisition of data, has been involved in revising the manuscript critically, and has given the final approval for the paper to be published. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Btissame Zarrouq.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval was obtained from the hospital-university ethics committee of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (N°16/22). All the participants were notified about the aim of the study and had provided informed consent before starting the investigation. All methods were carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations by in the declaration of Helsinki.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Abbouyi, S., Bouazza, S. & Zarrouq, B. Psychological distress and problematic social media use among Moroccan youth mediated by fear of missing out and social media engagement. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39206-y

Download citation

  • Received: 23 July 2025

  • Accepted: 03 February 2026

  • Published: 10 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39206-y

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Keywords

  • Problematic social media use
  • Adolescents
  • Young adults
  • Mental health
  • Fear of missing out
  • Social media engagement
  • Mediation analysis
Download PDF

Advertisement

Explore content

  • Research articles
  • News & Comment
  • Collections
  • Subjects
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on X
  • Sign up for alerts
  • RSS feed

About the journal

  • About Scientific Reports
  • Contact
  • Journal policies
  • Guide to referees
  • Calls for Papers
  • Editor's Choice
  • Journal highlights
  • Open Access Fees and Funding

Publish with us

  • For authors
  • Language editing services
  • Open access funding
  • Submit manuscript

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

  • Explore articles by subject
  • Find a job
  • Guide to authors
  • Editorial policies

Scientific Reports (Sci Rep)

ISSN 2045-2322 (online)

nature.com sitemap

About Nature Portfolio

  • About us
  • Press releases
  • Press office
  • Contact us

Discover content

  • Journals A-Z
  • Articles by subject
  • protocols.io
  • Nature Index

Publishing policies

  • Nature portfolio policies
  • Open access

Author & Researcher services

  • Reprints & permissions
  • Research data
  • Language editing
  • Scientific editing
  • Nature Masterclasses
  • Research Solutions

Libraries & institutions

  • Librarian service & tools
  • Librarian portal
  • Open research
  • Recommend to library

Advertising & partnerships

  • Advertising
  • Partnerships & Services
  • Media kits
  • Branded content

Professional development

  • Nature Awards
  • Nature Careers
  • Nature Conferences

Regional websites

  • Nature Africa
  • Nature China
  • Nature India
  • Nature Japan
  • Nature Middle East
  • Privacy Policy
  • Use of cookies
  • Legal notice
  • Accessibility statement
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Your US state privacy rights
Springer Nature

© 2026 Springer Nature Limited

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing