Ruth Brombach’s research explores how the “Fear of Missing Out” (FoMO) is affecting the sleep health of young adults
Ruth Brombach
By Jessica Florescu, CLA Student Writer - March 26, 2025
Growing up in Cologne, Germany, Ruth Brombach studied psychology at the University of Koblenz/Landau and University of Wuppertal, where she originally became interested in becoming a therapist after receiving both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology. Yet, it was during her time at Wuppertal that she fell in love with research and decided not to pursue becoming a licensed therapist.
Brombach’s undergraduate thesis explored the connection between the Big Five personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and obsessive compulsive disorder, finding that higher neuroticism was significantly associated with increased OCD symptoms. For her master’s thesis, Brombach then dove into the psychological-perspective of FoMO, on the recommendation of her advisor, and validated the German version of the Fear of Missing Out Scale, a numerical scale to assess the fear people feel of missing out via their everyday experiences. Brombach found that the scale demonstrated good internal consistency, but did not confirm the one-factor structure of the original study. Instead, an exploratory factor analysis identified three distinct factors, leading to a better model fit. Additionally, the study found significant positive correlations between FoMO and constructs such as smartphone usage, depression, and the need to belong, while negative correlations were observed with psychological need satisfaction and self-esteem.
“FOMO is a relatively new phenomenon in psychology,” explained Brombach. “It’s a widely felt emotional response to having anxiety from missing out on a potentially rewarding experience. Typically, it’s connected to social media use.”
Now in her third year of her Ph.D. program at the School of Psychological Science, Brombach is currently working alongside psychology Assistant Professor Jessee Dietch in the Sleep Health Assessment, Intervention, and Dissemination (SHAID) Lab, which focuses on developing interventions for insomnia, shift work disorder, and nightmares. As a lab member, Brombach explores the impact of technology on sleep health.
Brombach’s master’s dissertation at the School of Psychological Science looked at how college students’ social vs. nonsocial screen time predicts depression and anxiety, and, in turn, sleep health. Brombach found that social screen time moderated the association between depressive and anxiety symptoms and insomnia, such that higher social screen time was associated with increased insomnia symptoms in participants with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms, while this effect decreased in participants with more severe symptoms. However, high depression and anxiety symptoms were a predictor of insomnia regardless of the amount of social screen time. Non-social screen time had no significant effect on these associations.
“College students have sleep problems for a variety of reasons,” said Brombach, “including stress surrounding school work, lifestyle changes, moving away from home, and balancing school, work, and social activities. The research really showed how social screen time may exacerbate existing anxiety, affecting sleeping patterns.”
Now as a Ph.D. student, Brombach’s work in the SHAID Lab combines her FoMO research from Wuppertal with her master’s research at OSU, looking at different dimensions of sleep health in the context of FOMO.
“Social media has made it more accessible to know about the plans of others, which has strongly influenced the moods and behaviors of high school and college students,” Brombach explained. “Students may not take care of themselves because of the fear of missing out on an experience, which affects their overall mood and ability to study efficiently.”
Brombach’s research explores these dynamics through a combination of surveys and qualitative interviews, allowing for both quantitative insights and deeper exploration of students’ experiences with FoMO and its impact on mental and sleep health.
However, Brombach noted that she doesn’t believe that social media is entirely negative, but it depends on how it is being used. “Scrolling on your phone for hours or constantly comparing yourself to others obviously isn’t good, but using social media in moderation can be healthy for some individuals.”
One reason that Brombach became interested in continuing to research FOMO at OSU was because of her own personal experiences. After growing up and living in Germany, moving to the United States caused Brombach to have concerns about missing out on experiences with her family and friends back in Germany.
“I am so interested in this new study, because I’d like to see if my experiences are generally common or personal to me specifically. It’s difficult for me to connect with my long-distance family and friends, which amplified my own worries about missing out.”
During her time at OSU, Brombach has enjoyed how helpful and fun her psychology classes have been. After graduating with her Ph.D., she hopes to continue focusing on research on FoMO and sleep health.
Brombach said, “I’m looking forward to seeing where the future takes me, and I would love to publish papers relevant to people that could bring positive impact. But even if I can just help one person sleep better, that would be a great achievement for me personally.”