Total Fear Scores Research Articles

FRI525 Gender Differences In Fears Related To Low Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer And Its Treatment

Abstract Disclosure: A.M. Sawka: None. S. Ghai: None. L. Rotstein: None. J.C. Irish: None. J.D. Pasternak: None. P.J. Gullane: None. E. Monteiro: None. J. Su: None. W. Xu: None. J.M. Jones: None. A. Gafni: None. N.N. Baxter: None. D.P. Goldstein: None. Background: It is important to understand the fears of individuals newly diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) to optimize patient counselling and supportive care. Our aim was to explore for potential gender differences in fears experienced by individuals with PTC prior to treatment. Methods: In this prospective study conducted in Toronto, Canada, we enrolled patients with untreated small low risk PTC (< 2 cm in maximal diameter), and offered them the choice of thyroidectomy or active surveillance (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03271892). All participants had a surgical consultation prior to assessment. Participants completed Fear of Progression (Short Form) and Fear of Surgery (referring to thyroidectomy) questionnaires, prior to making a decision on PTC management. We also evaluated potential fears that were specific to thyroidectomy (e.g. voice change, thyroid hormone treatment, hypocalcemia, and scar appearance). Total fear scores were calculated for the respective questionnaires. We compared data collected in women and men and explored for factors associated with respective fears using multivariable linear regression analyses. Results: We included 153 women of mean age 50.7 years (standard deviation, SD 15.0) and 47 men of mean age 56.3 years (SD 13.8). There were no significant differences in primary tumor size, marital status, education, parental status, or employment status of women and men. On a scale of 5 to 60 (where 60 is the worst), the mean total fear of disease progression questionnaire score was 26.2 (SD 9.7) in women and 23.0 (SD 9.2) in men (p=0.031). On a scale of 0 to 80 (80 being the worst), the mean total surgical fear questionnaire score was 34.1 (SD 20.3) in women and 22.0 (17.9) in men (p<0.001). Women were also more fearful than men about potential postoperative change in voice (p=0.001), hypocalcemia (p=0.003), and scar appearance (p<0.001). In respective multivariable linear regression analyses, age group (p<0.001) was independently inversely associated with fear of disease progression, whereas being a woman was independently associated with surgical fear (p=0.002). Conclusions: Demographic factors appear to be associated with fears of low-risk PTC patients who are considering primary disease management. Younger patients may have a greater fear of disease progression while women may have a greater fear of the morbidity from thyroidectomy. These factors may be important to consider in patient counselling. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023

Coronavirus fear assessment using the modified COVID-19 fear scale among Indian dentists practicing in the Delhi NCR region

Background: Recently, numerous surveys have been conducted amongst different communities to assess the fear of coronavirus diseases-2019 (COVID-19), using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19) scale. Currently, there is a spot within the literature published regarding fear of COVID-19 amongst dentists, and hence, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey to assess the fear of COVID-19 amongst dentists practicing in India. Aim: Assessment of coronavirus fear amongst Indian dentists practicing in the Delhi NCR region using the modified FCV-19. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was formulated using FCV-19S, which gathered the demographic data and fear in relation to COVID-19. Except for the seven-item FCV-19S, three questions were formulated for dentists particularly. The responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale, starting from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Dentists residing in the Delhi NCR region and above 18 years old were included in the study. Results: A total of 202 responses were obtained, which were considered for the survey analysis. The results obtained after the compilation of the information were subjected to one-way analysis of variance test, and post-hoc Tukey Bonferroni tests were used for multiple comparisons. The study population comprised 65.8% of females and 34.2% of males, with approximately 68.3% belonging to the 18–30 years age group. The t-test for total fear and gender shows total fear score was 18.85 with standard deviation = 6.23. Conclusion: The study suggests that the population associated with healthcare showed lower levels of fear and anxiety than the general population. The fear of COVID-19 has reduced over a period of time due to the awareness of the disease and vaccination. Media plays a significant role in the psychological aspect of the person, irrespective of the profession, which leads to certain disturbances like lack of sleep. More than 50% of dentists agree that the use of precautionary protocols in our dental practice can reduce the risk of getting infected.

Gender differences in children’s fears: A meta-analysis study

ABSTRACT Children’s fears have received scholarly attention for well over 50 years. A considerable amount of literature has focused on such fear variables as fear intensity and fear prevalence scores and age and gender differences. We used meta-analysis to systematically review the findings related to gender differences in children’s fear intensity scores and fear prevalence scores and to examine the moderator effect of sample, year of study, and type of instrument on gender differences. Research studies that used the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC) or an updated version of the FSSC, were included in this meta-analysis. The findings from 58 intensity and 17 prevalence studies suggest that females have 11.4% higher total fear scores than males and females have 7.2% more fears than males. Results of sub-group analyses indicate that moderator variables of sample, year of publication, and type/version of FSSC cause significant variability in gender differences.

Fear of Covid 19 during the third wave of infection in Norwegian patients with type 1 diabetes.

To study the fear of Covid 19 infection among Norwegian patients with type 1 diabetes. Fear of Covid 19 scale, a validated scale assessing the fear of Covid 19, was sent electronically to 16255 patients with type 1 diabetes in May 2021. The items are rated on a scale from 1 to 5 (total scores from 7 to 35). The higher the score, the greater the fear. 10145 patients, 52% of the Norwegian adult type 1 diabetes population, completed the questionnaire. The mean total fear score was 13.8 (SD 5.8). Women experienced more fear than men (OR 1.96), and fear increased significantly with increasing age for both genders (p<0.05). Fear increased with increasing BMI, more pronounced for men than women. Fear was positively correlated to HbA1c (Spearman rho 0.067, p<0.05), and significantly increased in patients with micro- and macrovascular complications, compared with patients without complications (p<0.05). Smokers showed increased fear compared with non-smokers, (1.59 (1.39-1.81)), and non-European patients reported more fear than Europeans (OR of 2.02 (95% CI 1.55-2.63). Assessment of fear of Covid 19 in the type 1 diabetes population in Norway revealed an overall low fear during the third wave of infection. Patients considered to be at high risk of serious disease, such as older individuals, smokers and obese individuals expressed more fear than low risk individuals. The degree of fear was also associated with sex, ethnicity, educational/working status, glycemic control and presence of complications.

Sexual Activities and Fear-related Reasons for Avoiding Sexual Activities in Early Pregnancy: A Cross-sectional Study

ABSTRACT Introduction Several studies have reported women's worry that sexual intercourse may harm the course of pregnancy Objective To assess if fears about harming the pregnancy are associated with avoidance of sexual intercourse during pregnancy Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 Vietnamese pregnant women in the first or second trimester who visited our hospital for antenatal care. Sexual function was measured by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. The types of fears that were explored in the study included preterm labor, premature rupture of membranes, bleeding, infection, and fetus harm, and were measured by modified questions from the Reasons For Not Engaging in Sexual Activity During Pregnancy (RFNS) questionnaire. Using the total fear score, pregnant women were categorized into low, moderate, and high fear. Main Outcome Measures: Not having sexual intercourse during the past 4 weeks Results Seventy-two (28.8%) pregnant women had no sexual intercourse for the past 4 weeks. All types of fear were common among pregnant women, the more important fears were infection and harming the fetus. On multivariable regression analysis, the prevalence of not having sexual intercourse was higher in both women who had moderate (adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.84, 95%CI 1.42–5.67) and high fear (adjusted PR = 4.39, 95%CI 2.28–8.44) Conclusions Avoidance of sexual intercourse was common among Vietnamese pregnant women and was associated with the fears about harming the pregnancy. This can be a target in the health education programs for pregnancy couples Disclosure No

Fear-Related Reasons for Avoiding Sexual Intercourse in Early Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

IntroductionSeveral studies have reported women's worry that sexual intercourse may harm the course of pregnancy. This worry might lead to avoidance of sexual intercourse during pregnancy.AimTo assess if fears about harming the pregnancy are associated with avoidance of sexual intercourse during pregnancy.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 Vietnamese pregnant women in the first or second trimester who visited our hospital for antenatal care. We explored 5 types of fears including miscarriage/preterm labor, premature rupture of membranes, bleeding, infection, and injury to the fetus. Fears were measured by modified questions from the Reasons For Not Engaging in Sexual Activity During Pregnancy questionnaire. Using the total fear score, pregnant women were categorized into having low, moderate, and high fear.Main Outcome MeasureNot having sexual intercourse during the past 4 weeks.Results72 (28.8%) pregnant women had no sexual intercourse for the past 4 weeks. All types of fear were considered important among pregnant women; the more important fears were infection and injury to the fetus. In multivariable regression analysis, the prevalence of not having sexual intercourse was higher in both women who had moderate (adjusted prevalence ratio = 2.84, 95% CI 1.42–5.67) and high fear (adjusted prevalence ratio = 4.39, 95% CI 2.28–8.44).ConclusionAvoidance of sexual intercourse was common among Vietnamese pregnant women and was associated with the fears about harming the pregnancy. This can be a target in the health education programs for pregnancy couples.Thanh C. Phan, Long B. Hoang, Thanh K. Tran, et al. Fear-Related Reasons for Avoiding Sexual Intercourse in Early Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study. Sex Med 2021;9:100430.

COVID-19 Fear Level of Surgical Nurses Working in Pandemic and Surgical Units

PurposeNurses who care for COVID-19 patients are more likely to be affected psychologically than nurses who do not, and reactions such as increased fear may lead to psychological problems among nurses. The aim of this study was to determine the COVID-19 fear level of surgical nurses by using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale.DesignA descriptive and cross-sectional study.MethodsTotally, 202 surgical nurses who take care of suspected or infected COVID-19 patients working in pandemic and surgical units of a university hospital were included in the study. For data collection, “Nurse Characteristics Form” and “Fear of COVID-19 Scale” were used. Study data was analyzed with the descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman Correlation test.FindingsThe mean total COVID-19 fear score of the nurses was 25.09 ± 7.29 (min: 7, max: 35) and nurses who received training related to COVID-19 had statistically lower fear than those who did not (U = 3773.500; P= .027). Losing a patient because of COVID-19, being older and experienced in nursing significantly affected the total fear score of nurses (respectively, U = 3899.000; P= .004; rs = 0.152; P = .031, rs = 0.205; P = .003).ConclusionsSurgical nurses have a moderate level of COVID-19 fear and it is recommended to conduct appropriate on-line training programs to develop psychological support strategies.

The Associations between Imageability of Positive and Negative Valence Words and Fear Reactivity

This study investigated the associations of imageability with fear reactivity. Imageability ratings of four word classes: positive and negative (i) emotional and (ii) propriosensitive, neutral and negative (iii) theoretical and (iv) neutral concrete filler, and fear reactivity scores—degree of fearfulness towards different situations (Total Fear (TF) score) and total number of extreme fears and phobias (Extreme Fear (EF) score), were obtained from 171 participants. Correlations between imageability, TF and EF scores were tested to analyze how word categories and their valence were associated with fear reactivity. Imageability ratings were submitted to recursive partitioning. Participants with high TF and EF scores had higher imageability for negative emotional and negative theoretical words. The correlations between imageability of negative emotional words and negative theoretical words for EF score were significant. Males showed stronger correlations for imageability of negative emotional words for EF and TF scores. High imageability for positive emotional words was associated with lower fear reactivity in females. These findings were discussed with regard to negative attentional bias theory of anxiety, influence on emotional systems, and gender-specific coping styles. This study provides insight into cognitive functions involved in mental imagery, semantic competence for mental imagery in relation to fear reactivity, and a potential psycholinguistic instrument assessing fear reactivity.

Responses of people with epilepsy to the COVID-19 pandemic in the time of national lockdown

The aim of our study was to gather information on how people with epilepsy (PwE) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic during the national lockdown. An online questionnaire was therefore offered to the visitors of the Croatian Association for Epilepsy's website. The 22-items questionnaire was designed to acquire information from adults with epilepsy living in Croatia on demographic data, cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses to the pandemic, and communication problems between patients and their neurologists during the lockdown. Perceived anxiety and fears were expressed with the Likert scale (1–5) and the results of specific fears added to make the Total Fear Score. Results: Out of 186 respondents in total, only 2.8% did not comply with the lockdown measures, and all of those respondents stated that they did not feel any anxiety related to COVID-19. A canceled neurologist examination during the lockdown was significantly associated with pandemic-related anxiety (2.9 ± 1.28 vs. 2.3 ± 1.19, U = 3039, p = 0.001) and fears (Total Fear Score 31.4 ± 9.70 vs. 28.4 ± 9.79, U = 3341, p = 0.036), and 87.4% of respondents expressed the wish to communicate with their neurologist, either by phone/video call (53.0%) or email (34.4%). Conclusion: We think the results of our survey show that the responses from PwE point to a social responsibility appropriate for the existing situation. During future pandemics, telemedicine could have an important role in tackling the fears and anxieties caused by the cancelation of examinations, which corresponds to the wishes expressed by the great majority of our respondents.

Effect of fear of victimization on hazardous alcohol drinking, tobacco, and marijuana use among university students: A tale of two sexes

BackgroundFear of victimization has been associated with poorer physical and mental health, yet is understudied in public health. Few studies have examined sex differences in the effects of fear of victimization on substance use. We examined associations between fear of victimization and hazardous alcohol drinking, tobacco, and marijuana use among female and male university students. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among university students in an urban location (n = 1415). Socio-demographics, substance use, and fear related to various crimes were measured using online surveys. All fear types were summed into a total fear score and categorized into quartiles: no/little fear, moderate fear, high fear, and very high fear. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression models were used to examine associations between fear of victimization, hazardous alcohol drinking, tobacco and marijuana use, by sex. ResultsFemales were more likely to report high and very high fear of victimization (26.6% and 33.1%) than male students (19.8% and 16.3%; p < 0.001). In multiple logistic regression models, associations differed by sex: moderate, high, and very high fear were all independently associated with hazardous drinking among females but not males. Female students with very high fear of victimization were more likely to report tobacco use. High and very high fear was also independently associated with marijuana use among female only. ConclusionsHigher fear of victimization was associated with substance use among females but not male students. Public health and health care professionals should acknowledge fear of victimization as a potential risk factor for substance use, particularly among women.

Fear-based reasons for not engaging in sexual activity during pregnancy: associations with sexual and relationship well-being

Objective: Pregnant women consistently report fears that sexual activity could harm their pregnancy. Little is known, however, about the degree to which women report these fears as reasons for not having sex during pregnancy and whether these fears relate to women’s well-being. The aims of this study were to assess the importance of women’s fears of sexual activity harming the pregnancy in their decision not to engage in sex during pregnancy, and the associations between these fears and sexual and relationship well-being.Methods: Pregnant women (N = 261) were recruited online to complete a survey that included a novel scale of fear-based reasons for not engaging in sexual activity during pregnancy and validated measures of sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, sexual distress and relationship satisfaction.Results: Over half of the women (58.6%) reported at least one fear as a reason for not engaging in sexual activity while pregnant, though total fear scores were low. Greater fear-based reasons for not having sex were associated with greater sexual distress but were unrelated to sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction.Conclusions: Women who reported higher rates of refraining from sex due to fear that it could harm their pregnancy reported greater sexual distress, but not lower sexual functioning or sexual and relationship satisfaction. Results suggest that interventions focused on minimizing fears of sexual activity during pregnancy may not be essential for promoting women’s broader sexual and relationship well-being in pregnancy, but may help to reduce women’s global feelings of worry and anxiety about their sexual relationship.

Fear of Circumcision in Boys Considerably Vanishes within Ten Days of Procedure.

To compare fear of circumcision, before, immediately after, and ten days after the operation. This was a case-control study in which participants in the operation group consisted of children admitted for circumcision at the outpatient clinics of a hospital. The Children's Fear Scale and the Venham Picture Test were administered by face-to-face interviews. The sample consisted of 100 boys who were circumcised and 99 who have not been circumcised yet. Children's Fear Scale scores measured before (P = .000) and immediately after the operation (P = .000) were significantly different from scores obtained on the 10th day after the operation. Total fear scores of the Venham Picture Test of boys whose families were in the higher economic level were higher than those of boys from low-income families (P < .05). The primary reason for admission for circumcision was religious, and the reason for the remaining boys was a combination of religious and hygienic factors. The boys who came to have circumcision solely because of religious reasons were found to be less fearful compared with the boys who were brought to surgery for both religious and medical reasons (P < .05). The lowest fear scores were obtained for boys who were six years of age or older. Boys who knew what the circumcision meant were less afraid of circumcision compared with those who were unaware of the procedure. Fear from circumcision does not persist; it considerably vanishes within ten days. It seems reasonable to recommend circumcision for boys six years of age or older. Pre-operative education may help boys to overcome fear originated from circumcision.

Evaluation of Dental Fear in Children during Dental Visit using Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale.

ABSTRACTFear of dental treatment in children has been recognized as a source of serious health problems and it may persist into adolescence, which may lead to a disruptive behavior, during dental treatment. In order to prevent this psychometric method namely the dental subscale of the children's fear survey schedule (CFSS-DS) is a well-known psychometric scale that was developed by Cuthbert and Melamed in 1982 for assessing dental fear in children. The present study was to evaluate dental fear in children during first dental visit using CFSS-DS between three different age group 4 and 6 years, 7 and 9 years, 10 and 14 years children to select fearful and nonfearful children from a larger reference population and to estimate the dental fear children. Total 600 children show CFSS-DS of 27.17 ± 5.3385, 307 were girls (51.17%) and they showed CFSS-DS of 27.50 ± 5.060 and 293 were boys (48.83%) and they show CFSS-DS 26.84 ± 5.617. This shows that there were no significant difference in fear between boys and girls. In 4 to 6 years show total CFSS-DS 28.78 ± 5.742, 7 to 9 years show that mean and standard deviation of CFSS-DS 27.81 ± 4.783, 10 to 14 years show that mean and standard deviation of CFSS-DS 25.93 ± 5.586. Fear scores were highest for ‘injections', ‘choking', ‘noise of dentist drilling', ‘dentist drilling which was not significant between boy's and girl's but item, ‘having somebody look at you’ showed that significant differences in fear scores between boys and girls in present study. The present study concluded that dental fear decreased as age increased. Total fear scores also exhibited no strong overall sex difference or age by sex interaction. d> Raj S, Agarwal M, Aradhya K, Konde S, Nagakishore V. Evaluation of Dental Fear in Children during Dental Visit using Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2013;6(1):12-15.

Confirmation des dimensions de l’échelle des peurs pour enfants révisée (FSSC-R) d’Ollendick (1983)

L’objectif de la présente étude est de vérifier la stabilité factorielle de la FSSC-R à partir d’une analyse de confirmation de la structure factorielle. Le questionnaire a été donné à 612 adolescents (271 garçons et 341 filles), d’âge moyen de 14,17 ans (2,47). Les résultats de l’analyse de confirmation sont en faveur des cinq dimensions décrites par Ollendick et collaborateurs. L’ensemble des participants obtient un score total moyen de 113,92 (21,56), le premier facteur peur de l’échec et de la critique obtient une moyenne égale à 26,95 (6,01), le second facteur peur de l’inconnu a une moyenne à 24,96 (5,53), le troisième facteur peur des blessures et des animaux à 30,76 (6,37), le quatrième facteur peur du danger et de la mort à 22,26 (5,60), enfin le cinquième facteur peurs médicales à 8,98 (2,06). Le score total donne une évaluation globale des peurs de l’enfant alors que les cinq dimensions aident le clinicien à préciser le diagnostic psychopathologique. The revised version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R; Ollendick, 1983 [1] ) is one of the most widely used questionnaires to measure the prevalence of children's fears and to provide an overall assessment. The factorial structure groups the items into five scales, providing a better understanding of children's fears. The scales are: Fear of Failure and Criticism, Fear of the Unknown, Fear of Minor Injuries and Small Animals, Fear of Danger and Death, and finally Medical Fears. These scales evoke fairly common specific phobias in children (Ollendick et al., 1989 [4] ). The psychometric properties of the FSSC-R are well established and the French version was tested in two general population studies (Rusinek et al., 1998; Turgeon et al., 2005 [2] , [11] ). The French version of the FSSCR has been studied and adapted for a population from first grade (6.5 years) to third grade (15.5 years) by Rusinek et al., 1998 [2] . The Quebec version is newer (Turgeon et al., 2005 [11] ) and therefore more accurately takes into account of current reality in item formulation. The objective of this study is to examine the factorial stability of the FSSC-R using a confirmatory factor analysis. The Quebec version of the FSSC-R was given to 612 adolescents (271 boys and 341 girls), with a mean age of 14.17 years (SD: 2.47). The five factorial structure model of the FSSC-R (Ollendick et al., 1989 [4] ) was studied using AMOS software. The results show that the relative Chi 2 is equal to 2.56 and the other two indications have acceptable values (RMSEA is 0.05 and SRMR is 0.06) confirming the five-scale model described by Ollendick, 1983 [1] . Subjects had a total fear score of 113.92 (21.56); for the individual scales subjects scored 26.95 (6.01) on Fear of Failure and Criticism, 24.96 (5.53) on Fear of the Unknown, 30.76 (6.37) on Fear of Minor Injuries and Small Animals, 22.26 (5.60) on Fear of Danger and Death, and finally 8.98 (2.06) on Medical Fears equals to. The means observed are generally lower than those reported by Turgeon et al., 2005 [11] and Ollendick, et al., 1985 [15] . It is important to note that the current sample consists of adolescents and young adults (range 11–21 years) while the study of Turgeon et al., 2005 [11] includes only children between 9 and 12. The study of Ollendick et al., 1985 [15] reports data for four age groups: 7–9 years, 10–12 years, 13–15 years and 16–18 years without showing any difference between these age groups, but this study was conducted in 1985. Conversely, Rusinek et al., 1998 [2] reported a change of fears from childhood to adolescence. It is possible that the emergence of technology has led today's teenagers and young adults to have fears different from those common to the 1980's. The internal consistency coefficient for the 79 items is 0.95. As for the original scale, four of the five factors show satisfactory internal consistency: the Fear of Failure and Criticism factor (0.87), the Fear of the Unknown factor (0.86), the Fear of Minor Injuries and Small Animals factor (0.85) and the Fear of Danger and Death factor (0.82). The Medical Fears factor shows a slightly lower coefficient alpha (0.64). Thus, the results of Turgeon et al., 2005 [11] and those of Ollendick, 1983 [1] are confirmed in terms of adequate internal consistency coefficients for the first four factors and a slightly weaker coefficient (less than 0.70) for the Medical Fears factor. In conclusion, the instrument appears to retain its original validity through good internal consistency and the five factor scales described by Ollendick et al., 1989 [4] in this French validation.

Childhood dental fear in the Netherlands: prevalence and normative data.

This study aimed to present normative data on dental fear for the Dutch child population, by identifying not only highly fearful children but also children at risk for developing this high dental fear. Fear distribution of samples of high and low fearful children was studied, using the Dutch parent's version of the Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS). Total fear scores were calculated for both samples, for different age levels and for boys and girls separately. To establish cut-off scores, mean CFSS-DS scores were associated with dentists' clinical fear ratings and, in addition, were transformed into stanines. Scores between 32 and 38 were found to represent a borderline area for dental fear, and scores of 39 and higher to represent high dental fear. The results have shown 6% of the Dutch child population to be highly fearful, while another 8% may be at risk to develop high dental fear. By providing extra attention for these children, the development of high dental fear or phobia may be prevented.

Fears in Swedish Children: A Normative Study of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children - Revised

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of fears in Swedish children and to examine the relation of those fears to state and trait anxiety. The purpose was also to do a normative study of FSSC-R (Fear Survey Schedule for Children - Revised). In total, 550 children between 8 and 16 years of age answered the questionnaires. The results indicate that there are no gender differences in total fear score, factor scores and number of fears. In contrast to earlier results, there was no correlation between fear and trait anxiety; however, a modest correlation was found between fear and state anxiety

Dental Hygiene Fear: Gender and Age Differences

Studies aimed at examining gender and age differences as they relate to dental anxiety have begun to appear in the literature. The purpose of this investigation was to explore fear and anxiety in a dental hygiene setting and evaluate gender and age differences among four sub-scales of dental hygiene fear. The Dental Hygiene Fear Survey (DHFS) was developed to address patient reaction to dental hygiene treatment. The University of Washington Dental Fears Model was the theoretical model used for it identifies four domains of dental fear: fear of specific stimuli, generalized anxiety, fear of catastrophe, and distrust. Males and females respond differently to dental hygiene treatment with women reporting significantly (p<.05) greater fear overall than males. Examination of the four dental hygiene fear sub-scales show that females report greater fear (p<.05) in relation to specific fear and generalized anxiety. There were no significant differences across age categories on total fear scores or within any of the sub-scales. Characterization of the dental hygiene fear patient along with knowledge of procedures that elicit anxiety can assist the practitioner in recognizing dental hygiene-related fear. With this foundation, the practitioner can then develop management strategies specific to this phenomenon.

Regret, substance abuse, and readiness to change in a dually diagnosed sample

The transtheoretical stages of change model posits that increased readiness to change is associated with greater awareness of the negative consequences of substance use. Experiencing regrets implies a greater awareness of these consequences. Eighty dually diagnosed patients completed a 22-item Measure of Substance-Related Regret (MSR) that assessed the intensity, type, idiographic importance of, and emotions associated with regrets related to substance use and the Brief Readiness to Change Questionnaire. The MSR yielded a global measure of regret that accounted for statistically significant amounts of variance in total readiness-to-change scores ( R 2 = .30). Global scores also predicted precontemplation and contemplation stage scores, whereas total fear scores associated with regrets predicted action scores. Regret seems to play a complex yet important role in the decision to change substance abuse.

What are African American children afraid of? Part II: A twelve-month follow-up

Research on children's fears has primarily focused on White children, and has been cross-sectional in nature. Research that examines fears across time or focuses on African American children's fears is sparse. We examined the stability of fears among 34 African American and 39 White elementary school children using the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R) across a 12-month period. Across time, African American children's FSSC-R total fear scores were more stable than those of their White counterparts. Between-group comparisons indicated similarities in the rank ordering of fears. Regardless of race, sex, or grade, children's fears centered around harm befalling self or others.

Fears and fearfulness in children and adolescents: a genetic analysis of twin data.

A sample of 175 same sex dizygotic pairs and 144 monozygotic twin pairs aged between 8:00 and 18:00 completed the Fear Survey Schedule for Children--Revised. The heritabilities were significant for Fear of the Unknown (h2 = 0.46, p less than 0.001), Fear of Injury and Small Animals (h2 = 0.46, p less than 0.001), Fear of Danger (h2 = 0.34, p less than 0.001) and for Total Fear Score (h2 = 0.29, p less than 0.001). Multiple regression was used to estimate the heritability of extreme fearfulness (h2g). For each of the fear factors the values of h2g were of similar magnitude to those of h2 suggesting that there is no evidence of greater genetic influences at more extreme levels of fearfulness.