The effect of social exclusion on bedtime procrastination among college students: the mediating role of psychological resilience and the moderating role of fear of missing out.

BACKGROUND: In contemporary society, health issues have garnered widespread attention, with sleep being recognized as a fundamental determinant of overall wellbeing. For college students, maintaining adequate, high-quality sleep is particularly imperative, given its critical role in academic performance and psychological adjustment. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine the association between social exclusion and bedtime procrastination among Chinese undergraduates and to explore the mediating role of psychological resilience and the moderating role of fear of missing out (FoMO) in this relationship. METHODS: A total of 1,050 undergraduate students from a university in China were recruited to participate in this study. Data were collected via an online survey, yielding 972 valid questionnaires (effective response rate = 92.6%). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 27.0 and the PROCESS macro. Correlation analysis, mediation effect testing, and moderated mediation analyses were conducted to systematically evaluate the relationships among the core variables. RESULTS: The empirical results revealed that (1) social exclusion was significantly and positively correlated with bedtime procrastination among college students; (2) psychological resilience partially mediated the relationship between social exclusion and bedtime procrastination; and (3) FoMO moderated the direct pathway between social exclusion and bedtime procrastination within the mediation model, indicating that the strength of this association varied across different levels of FoMO. CONCLUSION: Social exclusion serves as a salient correlate and risk-enhancing factor for bedtime procrastination among college students, demonstrating a significant positive linkage. Specifically, social exclusion may indirectly intensify individuals' bedtime procrastination by undermining their psychological resilience. Moreover, FoMO acts as a moderating mechanism, suggesting that the susceptibility of socially excluded individuals to bedtime procrastination is contingent upon their level of FoMO.