Department of Psychology, Am.C., Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran.
Abstract
Objective: Gifted adolescents experience distinctive psychological pressures that increase their vulnerability to social anxiety and fear of missing out (FoMO). This study examined the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy (CBH) in reducing these difficulties among gifted students. Methods: An experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group and a two-month follow-up was used. From a population of 253 female junior high school students at a National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents (NODET) school in Sari, Iran, during the 2025–2026 academic year, 40 eligible participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=20) or a control group (n=20). The experimental group received an eight-session CBH protocol (90 minutes per session); the control group received no intervention. Data were collected with the Przybylski FoMO Scale and the Jerabek Social Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ; higher scores indicate lower social anxiety and better social functioning due to reverse scoring) and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 with mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA, Bonferroni post-hoc tests, and a significance threshold of P<0.05. Results: The Group × Time interaction was significant for both FoMO (η²=0.68, P<0.001) and social anxiety (η²=0.69, P<0.001), indicating that changes over time differed between the experimental and control groups. CBH produced a significant reduction in FoMO scores in the experimental group relative to the control group. FoMO decreased by a mean difference of 3.60 points from pretest to posttest and remained stable at two-month follow-up (mean difference of 0.30 points from posttest to follow-up, which was not statistically significant, P=0.245). Social anxiety scores (reflecting reduced symptoms due to reverse scoring) increased by a mean difference of 4.25 points from pretest to posttest and remained stable (mean difference of 0.05 points from posttest to follow-up, P=0.357). These improvements were maintained at the two-month follow-up. Conclusion: CBH, through the integration of deep hypnotic relaxation, ego-strengthening suggestions, and cognitive restructuring of maladaptive thoughts about social evaluation and peer exclusion, appears to be an effective intervention for reducing FoMO and social anxiety in gifted adolescents, with benefits that persist beyond the treatment period. Further research is needed to confirm its broader applicability in educational settings.
Hosseini Laghab Shafiei, S. F. & Ebrahimi Alavikolaei, S. (2026). Mitigating Social Anxiety and the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) in Gifted Adolescents Through Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy. (e107586). Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition, (), e107586 https://doi.org/10.48308/jncog.2026.245837.1046
MLA
Hosseini Laghab Shafiei, S. F., & Ebrahimi Alavikolaei, S. "Mitigating Social Anxiety and the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) in Gifted Adolescents Through Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy" .e107586 , Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition, , 2026, e107586. doi: 10.48308/jncog.2026.245837.1046
HARVARD
Hosseini Laghab Shafiei, S. F., & Ebrahimi Alavikolaei, S. (2026). 'Mitigating Social Anxiety and the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) in Gifted Adolescents Through Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy', Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition, (), e107586. doi: 10.48308/jncog.2026.245837.1046
CHICAGO
Hosseini Laghab Shafiei, S. F. & Ebrahimi Alavikolaei, S., "Mitigating Social Anxiety and the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) in Gifted Adolescents Through Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy." Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition, (2026): e107586, doi: 10.48308/jncog.2026.245837.1046
VANCOUVER
Hosseini Laghab Shafiei S. F., Ebrahimi Alavikolaei S. Mitigating Social Anxiety and the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) in Gifted Adolescents Through Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy. JNCOG. 2026;():e107586. doi: 10.48308/jncog.2026.245837.1046
