Assessing fear of missing out in a Balkan context: validation of the Albanian version of the FOMO scale

Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) has emerged as an important psychological construct associated with problematic social media use, compulsive smartphone checking, and reduced psychological well-being. Although FoMO has been examined across different cultural settings, no psychometrically validated Albanian-language instrument is currently available. The present study aimed to adapt the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOs) into Albanian and to evaluate its psychometric properties in a sample of university students in Kosovo. A total of 661 university students participated in the study. The full sample was randomly divided into two independent subsamples for cross-validation purposes (Study 1, n = 330; Study 2, n = 331). The translation and cultural adaptation process followed the International Test Commission guidelines. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the factorial structure; in Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the robust weighted least squares (WLSMV) estimator was used to confirm it. Item response theory (graded response model) was used to evaluate item-level functioning, internal consistency coefficients were calculated to assess reliability, and measurement invariance across gender (configural to strict) was examined. Exploratory factor analysis supported a two-factor structure of the Albanian Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMO-Alb), comprising Fear and Social dimensions; two items reflecting online sharing and monitoring did not load on either factor and were excluded, yielding an eight-item scale. This structure was confirmed in Study 2 (CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.07). All standardized loadings were significant and adequate, and the average variance extracted exceeded 0.50 for both factors, supporting convergent validity; discriminant validity was also supported. Internal consistency was acceptable to good for the total scale and both subscales. Graded response model analyses indicated high item discrimination. Multi-group analyses supported configural invariance across gender and approximate (partial) metric and scalar invariance. The FoMO-Alb appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing fear of missing out among Albanian-speaking university students. The findings contribute to the cross-cultural FoMO literature by providing the first psychometrically supported Albanian-language measure of the construct and offer a foundation for future research on social media use and psychological well-being in Albanian-speaking populations.