Sufi Based Muhasabah Reflective Journaling for Smartphone Addiction, FOMO, and Anxiety among Muslim Students in Palopo

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This study examines the effectiveness of muhasabah reflective journaling as a Sufi-based Islamic counseling technique for reducing smartphone addiction, Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), and anxiety among Gen Z Muslim students in Palopo. The study is motivated by the increasing psychological risks associated with intensive smartphone use, digital social comparison, emotional dependence on online connectivity, and the limited availability of empirically tested Islamic counseling interventions for digital mental health problems.

Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a quantitative experimental design using a pre-test and post-test control group approach. A total of 25 Gen Z Muslim participants in Palopo were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received muhasabah reflective journaling treatment, while the control group did not receive the same intervention. Data were collected using instruments measuring smartphone addiction, FoMO, and anxiety. Statistical analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, validity and reliability testing, paired sample t-test, ANCOVA, and structural model analysis with AMOS.

Findings/Results: The findings indicate that muhasabah reflective journaling had a significant effect on reducing smartphone addiction, FoMO, and anxiety. The experimental group showed greater reductions in all three variables compared with the control group, and the mediation analysis indicated that reductions in FoMO and anxiety contributed to the decrease in smartphone addiction.

Originality: This study contributes to the development of evidence-based Islamic counseling by transforming muhasabah from a normative spiritual concept into a structured, measurable, and empirically tested counseling intervention. The study extends the discourse on Sufi psychotherapy and digital mental health by demonstrating that spiritual self-reflection can function as a culturally and religiously relevant intervention for addressing contemporary psychological problems among Muslim youth. Its practical implication lies in providing a model for schools, universities, Islamic counseling practitioners, and youth institutions to develop spiritually sensitive digital mental health programs.