ISSN: 2222-6990
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Families raising children with special needs often make consumption decisions under uncertainty, emotional responsibility, time pressure and persistent financial constraint. This manuscript proposes that Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), typically examined in digital and general consumer contexts, takes a distinctive care-driven form in these households: parents fear that their child may miss a therapy, educational programme, assistive technology or developmental opportunity that could improve the child’s future. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Social Comparison Theory, and drawing on self-control and financial well-being research, the study develops a model in which social comparison orientation heightens care-driven FOMO, FOMO is associated with impulsive care-related spending, and such spending is associated with lower financial well-being. Joy of Missing Out (JOMO), conceptualised as autonomous, value-congruent selectivity, is proposed as a moderator that weakens the link between FOMO and impulsive spending. As a conceptual paper, it develops and justifies the model and proposes an empirical test design: a cross-sectional survey of parents or primary caregivers of children with special needs, analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with serial mediation and moderation. The manuscript contributes by distinguishing care-driven FOMO from hedonic FOMO and from anticipated regret, extending consumer vulnerability research into the caregiving context, and positioning JOMO as a self-regulatory resource. The study has implications for family financial education, disability support services, financial planners and policymakers seeking to protect long-term household resilience without dismissing legitimate child-related needs.
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