Fear Of The Dark Research Articles

How children make sense of fear of the dark: a qualitative study of Russian preschoolers

ABSTRACT Fear of darkness is prevalent in childhood, yet how children explain it remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate how preschoolers make sense of fear of darkness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted through Zoom with 4- to 5-year-old Russian children (n = 31; 13 girls). Reflexive thematic analysis revealed that preschoolers made sense of fear of darkness by appealing to the various entities that inhabit it, the bad things that can occur while in it, and its inherent nature. Preschoolers also spoke to making darkness less scary through people, objects, actions, and qualities of the world, like light. These themes are discussed relative to Russian folklore tradition as well as children’s ability to differentiate fantasy from reality.

PENYAMPAIAN RASA TAKUT DALAM FILM HOROR QODRAT KARYA CHARLES GOZALI

The growth in popularity of horror films can be seen from the high number of horror films produced and their success at the box office. One example of a famous horror film is Qodrat, directed by Charles Gozali, which was released in October 2022. Qodrat is a horror genre film that combines action and religion with a duration of 102 minutes where Vino G. Bastian plays the main character in this film as a Qodrat chaplain. The aim of this research is to find out every scene that shows fear in the horror film Qodrat by Charles Gozali and to draw conclusions from the film about what are the signs and signifieds through semiotic analysis. This research uses a qualitative approach with Ferdinand de Saussure's semiotic analysis method. In this theory, semiotics is divided into two parts, namely the signifier and the signified. This research was carried out by observing signs in several scenes, including the scenes at minute 35:30 and minute 1:05:39 which contain fear in the film Qodrat. Observations were made by watching films via the application streaming platform and taking screen captures of scenes that were deemed to contain markers and signs. The results of this research show that from the two Hude theories and Aditya's theory, differences can be seen where Hude expresses fear that occurs in changes in behavior, whereas according to Aditya the cause of fear can occur because of fear related to places, for example fear of the dark (achluphobia).

Case of fear cured by homeopathy in 9 years old – understanding personality of the child through art

A 9 year old boy complained of intense fear of darkness, being alone, teachers, school, being kidnapped, pain, loss of money etc because of which his parents had to change his school for 3 times in last 2 years. He was asked to explain his fears by putting it on paper in the form of art. He chose to draw a few figures and explained his art with total clarity of thought. In such psychiatric cases where it is difficult to understand the personality of patient because of overcrowding of disease symptoms, art helped us as physicians to understand his personality in a much better way to prescribe the perfect similimum and experience the power of Homoeopathic medicines in bringing about gentle, rapid cure. In this particular case, we could also find that the pace of achieving cure after administration of correct homeopathic remedy is magical.

No Fear of the Dark: Constitutively Active PHYTOCHROME B2 Minimizes Tomato Nutritional Quality Penalty Due to Suboptimal Ripening Conditions

No Fear of the Dark: Constitutively Active PHYTOCHROME B2 Minimizes Tomato Nutritional Quality Penalty Due to Suboptimal Ripening Conditions

Fear of the Dark: Inflation Experiences and Subjective Well-being

In this paper, we estimate the impact of past inflation experiences (à la Malmendier and Wachter, 2023) on people's current level of utility as revealed by their subjective well-being. Combining detailed EU-level Household Finance and Consumption Survey microdata and lifetime experienced inflation, we provide novel evidence that individual households who have experienced higher historical inflation report significantly lower current life satisfaction scores, even after controlling for a large set of socio-economic characteristics and household wealth and income levels. However, for the old EU countries sample, individual households appear to derive higher subjective well-being from modest inflation up to around 2.6%.

Влияние ВР-программы по коррекции никтофобии на состояние тревоги в юношеском возрасте

<p style="text-align: justify;">The article presents the results of an experimental study of the level and severity of anxiety under the influence of a VR program for the correction of nyctophobia. The experiment involved two independent groups of respondents in different conditions of working with the VR program. In the first group, the work was carried out in a lighted room, in the second in the dark. Before and after exposure, the level and severity of anxiety were diagnosed in both groups, as well as the severity of states of well-being, activity and mood (WAM) in the second group. Since the groups differed statistically in all studied parameters, comparisons were made only within the groups. The use of the Wilcoxon T-test made it possible to conclude that there was a significant change in the severity of anxiety after working with the VR program in participants with a “low level” of anxiety in both the first and second groups. A significant decrease in anxiety occurred in the group of participants who reported that they were afraid of the dark (n=7). This group was characterized by "low" and "medium" levels of anxiety. There were no statistically significant changes in SAN scores. This result is explained by the fact that a one-time and short-term impact of the used VR program for the correction of nyctophobia is not a factor in changing well-being, activity and mood, but it is a factor in changing the severity of anxiety.</p>

The phenomenon of fear in Ukrainian literature for children and youth about the events of the Holodomor of 1932-1933

The article considers the forms of manifestation of fear and the specificity of their representation in Ukrainian works for children and youth about the events of the Holodomor of 1932--1933. Its relevance is emphasized, as the state of threat and the appearance of fear as a basic reaction to it have become the modern realities in Ukraine. The state of research of the issue in Ukrainian literary studies is outlined; the principles of classification of forms, functions, and types of fear are taken into account. It is determined that works about the Holodomor take an important place in the sphere of historical prose, which accumulates a complex of historical knowledge, becomes an important factor in the formation of the national identity of the personality. While analyzing the short stories "Kandor" by Y. Zbanatskyi, "Bevka" by M. Mahera, "Velykyi Zlochyn Malenkoho Mykhasia" (Great Crime of Little Mykhas) by Oleksa Kobets, "Chorna Khustka" (Black Shawl) by M. Ponedilok, "Skrynia" (Chest) by K. Yehorushkina, and the story "Try Skhodynky Holodomoru" (Three Steps of the Holodomor) by E. Zarzhytska, it has been found out that the dominant type of fear in the artistic sphere of the works is fear for physical existence, fear of hunger (to be hungry, to see a hungry person, to see a person who died of hunger). It is determined that in Ukrainian fiction on the Holodomor theme real fears (fear of power, fear of being left at home alone, fear of the dark, fear of death, fear of a particular person, fear of being punished) and metaphysical ones (horror, anxiety) are represented by techniques of psychological analysis, reproduction of states of the nature, metaphors, symbols which lay stress on the writer's attitude and style.

University film schools at the heart of creative collaborations with industry: a case study

ABSTRACT This paper is a detailed case study of how the Bond University Film and Television School collaborated with external production companies to actively participate in, and support, the production of the $1.5 million feature film The Fear of Darkness as a means of providing a unique student learning and industry networking experience. Students were able to take genuine on-set production roles for the duration of the production, rather than conventional short-term internships and work experience, which, upon their graduation, has contributed towards meeting the industry’s current skills gap. Furthermore, this case study also shows how the production provided a significant opportunity for academic staff to have senior production roles to further their professional development. Additionally, this collaboration supports the notion that academic staff with significant prior industry experience can function as a useful conduit between film schools and industry.

Adolescents’ fear of the dark: associations with fear of death and trait-anxiety

ABSTRACT Fears related to death and darkness are common during adolescence. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between these two types of fear, considering trait-anxiety and gender differences. A total of 171 16–18 years old adolescents (99 girls and 72 boys) completed paper-and-pencil questionnaires (Intensity of Fear of the Dark Scale, Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale, Spielberger Trait-State Anxiety Inventory – Trait version). According to our results, girls had higher levels of fear and anxiety than boys. Fear for significant others was the most intensively feared aspect of fear of death among both genders. Fear of the dark was associated with fear of death and trait anxiety, and the effect of trait anxiety on fear of the dark was partially mediated by fear of death. These results underline the symbolic association between fear of the dark and fear of death and have possible treatment implications.

Lack of the Ig cell adhesion molecule BT-IgSF (IgSF11) induced behavioral changes in the open maze, water maze and resident intruder test.

The brain- and testis-specific Ig superfamily protein (BT-IgSF, also termed IgSF11) is a homotypic cell adhesion protein. In the nervous system, BT-IgSF regulates the stability of AMPA receptors in the membrane of cultured hippocampal neurons, modulates the connectivity of chandelier cells and controls gap junction-mediated astrocyte-astrocyte communication. Here, we performed behavioral tests in BT-IgSF-deficient mice. BT-IgSF-deficient mice were similar to control littermates with respect to their reflexes, motor coordination and gating, and associative learning. However, BT-IgSF-deficient mice displayed an increased tendency to stay in the central illuminated areas in the open field and O-Maze paradigms suggesting reduced anxiety or increased scotophobia (fear of darkness). Although BT-IgSF-deficient mice initially found the platform in the water maze their behavior was compromised when the platform was moved, indicating reduced behavioral flexibility. This deficit was overcome by longer training to improve their spatial memory. Furthermore, male BT-IgSF-deficient mice displayed increased aggression towards an intruder. Our results show that specific behaviors are modified by the lack of BT-IgSF and demonstrate a contribution of BT-IgSF to network functions.

Risk factors for the development of psychotic disorders associated with synthetic cathinones usage

To identify risk factors and predictors of the development of psychotic disorders in patients who used synthetic cathinones (SKat). The study included 176 patients who used SKat, which was toxicologically confirmed. One hundred and eleven (63.1%) were male and 65 (36.9%) were female. The median age was 27 years (22-32 (Q1-Q3)). Patients were divided into main and control groups depending on the presence of a psychotic disorder. The main group (those who developed psychosis) consisted of 98 patients, the control groupincluded 78 participants. Clinical-psychopathological, parametric and statistical methods were performed to study predictors and risk factors for the development of psychotic disorders associated with the use of SKat. The study established factors influencing the incidence of psychosis. Older patients were more likely to develop psychosis (p=0.002). Patients who used SKat for more than 21 consecutive days developed psychoses more often (p=0.048). The use of α-pvp (α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, alpha-pvp) more often led to the development of psychosis (p<0.001). Patients undergoing rehabilitation were less likely to experience the development of psychosis (p=0.009). The resulting regression model is statistically significant (p<0.001). Based on the value of the Nigelkirk coefficient of determination, the model explains 30.9% of the observed group variance. It has been established that the combination of the following factors increases the chances of developing psychosis: female gender, age, duration of daily use, the presence of signs of mental infantilism, fear of the dark in childhood. In turn, the experience of undergoing rehabilitation and any pathology of the mother's pregnancy reduces the risk of psychosis. The results are consistent with other studies of substance-induced psychoses. The observed patterns demonstrate that this is a special group of disorders that requires the attention of specialists. The results allow us to outline the field for further study, and may also be useful in the development of therapeutic and preventive recommendations.

Why Villagers Use Toilets Only During Specific Time and Season? A Mixed-Methods Study in Rural Tamil Nadu

Background: Due to the efforts of sanitation promotion interventions in India, majority of the villagers started using toilets. But there is an inconsistency in toilet usage with regard to time and season. Objectives: The objectives were to determine the time and seasonal variations in toilet usage among villagers who use toilets and to identify the reasons for time and seasonal variations in toilet usage. Methodology: A community-based mixed-methods study was executed in the four field practice villages of UHTC, Villupuram. After IEC clearance, 405 individuals who were using an owned toilet were selected by Simple Random Sampling. Qualitative component (free listing) was used for questionnaire development and quantitative component (survey + observation) was used for data collection. Results: Majority, 52% villagers used toilets only in the night and 64% villagers used toilets during rainy season. Fear of darkness and snakes, emergency and large family size were the common reasons for night time toilet usage. While, non-availability of open space, illness on exposure to rain and quick filling of toilet pit contributed to toilet usage in the rainy season. Conclusion: The study findings would help in the development of culturally-sensitive and socially-acceptable key messages for future sanitation promotion interventions.

Configural Frequency Analysis for Medical Sciences with SPSS

The aim of this study was to analyze the Configural Frequency Analysis (CFA) with the help of the CFA module prepared for SPSS and to interpret the results. The data set used in this study was taken from Von EYE and Nesselroade (1992). This dataset included 698 patients with four different behavioral disorders (L = logorrhea that is, uncontrolled, uninterrupted speaking, R = running away from home, F = fear of dark, and B = bedwetting), two different (1 = present, 2 = absent) status. The multiway contingency form is 2x2x2x2 and includes 16 configurations in total. The CFA module for SPSS uses the first degree independence model. It uses Z test and Asymptotic Binomial test to determine Type and Antitype configurations. Holm’s method was used for control Family wise error rate. The Pearson Chi-square test was found significantly under assumption of total independence of all four variables (P

Children talking about their sleep: a cross-sectional survey of differences by ethnicity and socioeconomic status in Aotearoa New Zealand primary schools.

This study examined differences by ethnicity and socioeconomic status in attitudes to sleep and bedtime routine, as self-reported by children aged 7-9 years. Four groups of parent-child dyads were recruited: Māori participants from low- (n = 18) and high- (n = 17) decile schools and New Zealand European participants from low- (n = 18) and high- (n = 17) decile schools. Children completed a questionnaire about their sleep, a self-report of anxiety symptoms, and a semistructured interview. Most (77%) children reported liking to go to sleep (Māori, 88% vs New Zealand European, 65%; P = .053) and 28% reported trouble sleeping. Māori children were less likely to report fear of the dark and fighting about going to bed. Liking going to sleep was associated with less fear of the dark and of sleeping alone. Children from low-decile schools more often reported waking with pain and feeling sleepy (P = .022) and taking naps (P = .018) during the day. They also had more symptoms of anxiety. New Zealand European children more frequently reported using "screen time" (P = .02) or "reading a book" (P = .05). Children attending high-decile schools were more likely to read at bedtime (P = .01), whereas children attending low-decile schools were more likely to have "play time" (P = .02). Children were able to articulate what was a good night and bad night sleep. These findings suggest that more adverse differences in sleep habits and attitudes in children are most likely to be related to socioeconomic status than to ethnicity. Elder D, Miller J, Douglas B, Stanley J, McDowall P, Campbell A. Children talking about their sleep: a cross-sectional survey of differences by ethnicity and socioeconomic status in Aotearoa New Zealand primary schools. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(1):119-133.

Fear of the dark: a cross-cultural study into how perceptions of antisocial behaviour impact the acceptance and use of Twitter

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of the perceptions of antisocial behaviour on the use of the social media platform Twitter. We extend the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with the Perception of Antisocial Behaviour as a risk factor, and two supporting constructs: Strategic Self-Presentation and Protective Self-Presentation. We call this extended model Technology Acceptance and Use under Risk (TAUR). We investigate two groups via an online questionnaire, contrasting Anglophone countries (the UK, USA, and Canada, 200 responses), with Saudi Arabia (540 responses). In both cases the data shows that the Perception of Antisocial Behaviour impacts Twitter use, but not directly, rather it negatively impacts the influence of other factors such as Behavioural Intention – it also shows that this affects Anglophones more than Saudis. This indicates that future work should differentiate between different cultural groups, and different solutions may be needed to assuage users’ fears in different parts of the world.

Formative Research to Design a Child-Friendly Latrine in Bangladesh.

In low- and middle-income countries, most latrines are not accessible to young children. We explored how to modify existing pit latrines to make them child friendly. We conducted four focus group discussions with mothers to explore barriers to child latrine use. We then enrolled 20 households with a child aged 3–7 years old to test six enabling technologies developed based on the identified barriers. Two to three weeks after installing the selected enabling technologies in each household, researchers conducted 19 in-depth interviews with caregivers to explore the technologies’ acceptance and feasibility. Common barriers included the discomfort of squatting on a large pan, fear of darkness, and fear of a slippery floor. Of the potential solutions, a ring to stabilize the child while squatting in the latrine was preferred by children and was affordable and available. A wooden board with a smaller hole than the usual pan reduced fears of falling and helped eliminate discomfort but was inconvenient to handle and clean. A transparent fiberglass roof tile was affordable, available, increased visibility, and kept the latrine floor dry. In conclusion, the fiberglass roof tile and stability ring were two affordable and locally available technologies that facilitated latrine use by children aged 3–7 years.

Dinamika Perilaku Takut pada Anak Usia Dini

Fear behavior must exist in every human being. This behavior begins to appear in a person since he was born into the world, namely starting in early childhood. The dynamics of fearful behavior in children must occur, as parents and other adults should be able to respond to this problem well. Society in general understands that girls have a higher level of fear than boys. This study was conducted to determine the behavior of fear in boys and girls, and to find out how to respond to fearful behavior in early childhood. The research method used is descriptive qualitative, which describes the dynamics of fearful behavior in early childhood and how to respond to it. Data collection techniques in the form of observation sheets, interview sheets, and documentation. This research was conducted in the Sebiduk Sehaluan Ananda Playgroup (KB) which is located in the village of Sukanegeri, West Semendawai District, East OKU Regency, South Sumatra Province. The research subjects were early childhood children in Sebiduk Sehaluan Ananda Family Planning, which amounted to 19 children, and their parents. The results of the study based on observation sheets and interview sheets with parents that boys and girls have fearful behavior. In boys, the most common fears are the fear of the dark, the fear of lightning and the fear of ghosts. While girls are more afraid of animals, the dark, lightning and ghosts. But there are also boys and girls who are afraid of other things. The parenting methods for parents in responding to the dynamics of fearful behavior in early childhood are: 1) Providing supervision of children's activities; 2) Motivating children with positive words and behavior; 3) Provide an explanation regarding the child's fear and the object being feared; 4) Increase children's self-confidence; 5) Provide facilitation and provide solutions; 6) Calm the child with affection; 7) Do not frighten children with various things and events; 8) Provide advice; 9) Be a role model for children, because children are great imitators and easily absorb everything they see; 10) Giving treatment, making children aware that their behavior is wrong and committed to maintaining the chosen behavior; 11) Grow and increase children's piety and faith in God Almighty to always ask for protection only from Allah SWT, the ruler of the world and everything it.

Why be afraid of the night? - Pedagogical methods for developing positive attitudes towards natural darkness in order to reduce light pollution

Human existence has always been accompanied by our fear of the dark. Based on the theory of runaway selection (Fisher, 1930), it can be concluded that the innate feeling of fear associated with darkness can also be related to increased levels of light pollution of modern era. Although it is not possible and would also be undesirable to eliminate this fear, there is a pedagogical opportunity to develop positive attitudes towards the night, which may also lead to a reduction in light pollution in the future. The aim of the study is to present the psychological peculiarities of fear of natural darkness (e.g., Li et al., 2015; Morris and Kratochwill, 1998; Mooney et al., 1985) and to provide pedagogical opportunities to reduce it. Alternative types of education presented by the study based on scientific literature include astronomy education, games and tasks in the dark, night camp programs, education with virtual reality. Within each type, different educational options were presented (e.g., star counting, play therapy methods in the dark, night trips, test of courage). In addition, the results of interviews carried out with instructors related to the above mentioned pedagogical methods are also presented, as well as a detailed collection of links to help access several educational materials. The study provides a novel approach to tackling the problem of light pollution, for which it provides abundant and effective educational materials.

Afraid of the dark: Light acutely suppresses activity in the human amygdala.

Light improves mood. The amygdala plays a critical role in regulating emotion, including fear-related responses. In rodents the amygdala receives direct light input from the retina, and light may play a role in fear-related learning. A direct effect of light on the amygdala represents a plausible mechanism of action for light's mood-elevating effects in humans. However, the effect of light on activity in the amygdala in humans is not well understood. We examined the effect of passive dim-to-moderate white light exposure on activation of the amygdala in healthy young adults using the BOLD fMRI response (3T Siemens scanner; n = 23). Participants were exposed to alternating 30s blocks of light (10 lux or 100 lux) and dark (<1 lux), with each light intensity being presented separately. Light, compared with dark, suppressed activity in the amygdala. Moderate light exposure resulted in greater suppression of amygdala activity than dim light. Furthermore, functional connectivity between the amygdala and ventro-medial prefrontal cortex was enhanced during light relative to dark. These effects may contribute to light's mood-elevating effects, via a reduction in negative, fear-related affect and enhanced processing of negative emotion.

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