This study aimed to explore the effect of social exclusion on compulsive buying, grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Compensatory Internet Use Theory (CIUT). It examined the mediating roles of FoMO (fear of missing out) and smartphone addiction, as well as the moderating effect of selfcontrol among university students in Egypt. This study presented a theoretical
framework, followed by hypothesis development, resulting in the formulation of five hypotheses. A field study was conducted using a snowball sampling method,
gathering data from 367 university students in Egypt. The data were analyzed
using SPSS 26 and AMOS 20 to test the proposed hypotheses. AMOS, a widely
adopted multivariate analysis tool in social sciences, facilitated the testing
process. The results revealed a significant positive effect of social exclusion on
compulsive buying. Furthermore, FoMO and smartphone addiction were
identified as sequential mediators in the relationship between social exclusion and
compulsive buying. Additionally, self-control significantly and negatively
moderated the relationship between FoMO and smartphone addiction among the university student sample. |
