Network Analysis of Internet Addiction, Online Social Anxiety, Fear of Missing Out, and Interpersonal Sensitivity among Chinese University Students

Background. Despite the growing prevalence of internet usage among young people, the relationships between internet addiction, online social anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), and interpersonal sensitivity remain uncertain, intricate, and multifaceted. To gain insight into the underlying psychological mechanisms, we employed network analysis to explore the interconnections between them. This endeavor may provide fresh opportunities for intervention and treatment. Methods. In this study, 470 participants were assessed at age from 18 to 22 (M = 20.18 years, SD = 1.861) years. Network analysis was used to examine the connections between symptoms, and statistical measures were applied to assess the stability of the network model. Results. Online social anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity had the strongest associations with other symptoms in the network, with “Evaluation anxiety” having the highest expected influence centrality, followed by “Privacy concern anxiety,” “Need for approval,” “Suspicion,” and “vulnerability.” The FoMO symptom, “Fear of missing information,” had the strongest direct relation to internet addiction. “Evaluation anxiety” and “Fear of missing information” played a key role in bridging internet addiction and interpersonal sensitivity. Additionally, the structure distribution of edge weights had a significant difference between gender. Conclusions. Our findings indicated that FoMO, interpersonal sensitivity, and online social anxiety likely play a significant role in the development and continuation of internet addiction. Interpersonal sensitivity seems to contribute to increased online social anxiety, FoMO, and the development of internet addiction, indicating that targeting these symptoms may help reduce negative online behavior and psychological burden.