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Fears in children and adolescents: normative data
Behav. Res. Ther. Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 465-467, 1985 Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
CASE HISTORIES
0005-7967/85 $3.00 + 0.00 Copyright © 1985 Pergamon Press Ltd
AND
SHORTER
COMMUNICATIONS
Fears in children and adolescents: normative data THOMAS H. OLLEND1CK Department o f Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, U.S.A. JOHNNY L. MATSON a n d WILLIAM J. HELSEL Northern Illinois University, De Kalb, IL 60115, U.S.A.
(Received 24 October 1984) Summary--The present study examined the frequency, intensity and factor structure of fear in boys and girls between 7 and 18 yr of age. All youths were administered the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R). Results indicated that girls evinced quantitative and qualitative differences from boys in the intensity and structure of their self-reported fears. Chronological age differences were not found, however, suggesting that boys and girls across these age ranges reported a similar level and structure of fear. The present study establishes the utility of the FSSC-R for these various age ranges and provides valuable normative data regarding its use.
INTRODUCTION A considerable amount of research has focused on the prevalence o f fears in childhood--see recent reviews by Miller (1983), Morris and Kratochwill (1983) and Ollendick (1983a). In general, these studies show that childhood fears are relatively common, that the average child exhibits several fears throughout his or her development and that such fears are more prevalent in girls than in boys. Illustratively, based on parental reports, Lapouse and Monk (1959) reported an average of 11 fears in children between 6 and 12 yr of age; further, based on children's self-report, Ollendick (1983b) found a similar number of fears in children between 8 and 11 yr of age. In this latter study, girls were found to report an average of 13 excessive fears while boys reported an average of 9 excessive fears. While these figures may seem alarming, they indicate that girls report more fears than boys and that it is quite common for children of both sexes to evince multiple fears during childhood. In addition, these studies as well as others, have pointed to clear developmental trends in the presence of specific fears, especially when children of varying ages have been studied. At a very young age, fear of loud noises, loss of support and of separation from mother prevail while fears of imaginary creatures and small animals become more evident during the toddler years. Beginning with the fourth year, the predominant fear is darkness. During the fifth to sixth year, social fears including fear of school emerges. Interestingly, around 6 yr of age and up to adolescence, fears remain relatively constant and consist primarily of fears related to injury, natural events and social anxiety. Little is known regarding the presence or patterning of specific fears during adolescence, although there is some indication that moral, religious and sexual fears take on increasing importance at this time (Miller, 1983). The purpose of the present study was to examine the frequency and intensity of fears in children and adolescents between 7 and 18 yr of age, as reported by them. While self-report instruments have been eschewed by many researchers and clinicians, such instruments provide valuable information related to the child's own perception of events associated with specific target behaviors (Finch and Rogers, 1984). In the area of fear assessment, such instruments are especially useful in the identification of specific fear sensitivities in individual children (Ollendick, 1983b). In the present study, the recent revision of Scherer and Nakamura's (1968) 80-item Fear Survey Schedule for Children was used. For the revised version of the scale, Ollendick (1983b) reported acceptable internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity for normal 8- to 1 l-yr-old children. A meaningful factor structure consisting of five clusters o f fears was also reported: Fear of Failure and Criticism, Fear of the Unknown, Fear of Injury and Small Animals, Fear of Danger and Death and Medical Fears. Finally, the revised scale was shown to discriminate between school phobic and non-phobic children (Ollendick and Mayer, 1984) and to identify qualitative differences in the pattern of fear between visually-impaired and normally-sighted youths (Ollendick, Matson and Helsel, 1985). METHOD Subjects A total of 126 children and adolescents were examined: 66 girls and 60 boys. Ss ranged in age from 7 to 18 yr of age: 30 were between 7 and 9 yr of age, 34 were between 10 and 12 yr of age, 32 between 13 and 15 yr of age and 30 between 16 and 18 yr of age. All youths were enrolled in regular classrooms in northern and central Illinois. Youths with known mental-health contacts and/or special education placements were excluded from the sample. Although specific information on the socioeconomic status of children was not available, it is believed that a cross section of school-attending children was obtained. Limited information about the occupation of the head o f household revealed a fairly even distribution ranging from professional worker to service worker.
Procedure All youths were tested individually in their respective schools according to standard administration procedures for the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (Ollendick, 1983b). They were instructed to read each fear item carefully and 465
466
CASE FLISTORIES A N D S H O R T E R C O M M U N I C A T I O N S
to place an 'X' in the box in front of the words that described their level of fear ('none', 'some' or 'a lot'). In all cases, efforts were made to ensure that instructions were understood and that the stimulus items and response alternatives were clearly perceived. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Prevalence of fear In this sample, the prevalence of fear was determined by calculating the total number of stimuli which each child endorsed as producing a high degree of fear (i.e. 'a lot'). A 2 (male, female) x 4 (age: 7-9 yr, 10-12 yr, 13-15 yr, 16-18 yr) A N O V A on the total number of such fears revealed a significant main effect for gender with girls reporting significantly more fears (27 = 16.14) than boys (X = 8.28). Although significant effects for age and gender x age were not obtained, a trend toward a greater number of fears in younger children was evident. More specifically, 7- to 9-yr-olds reported an average of 14.24 fears, 10- to 12-yr-olds 13.64 fears, 13- to 15-yr-olds 12.08 fears and 16- to 18-yr-olds 11.55 fears. The average number of fears across gender and age was 12.62, affirming the fact that children and adolescent at these ages report a relatively large number of specific fears.
Intensity of fear In order to explore systematic differences in the intensity o f fear, a series of 2 (male, female) x 4 (age: 7-9 yr, 10-12 yr, 13-15 yr, 16-18 yr) ANOVAs were conducted on the Total FSSC-R score, the five factor scores and on each of the 80 individual items. For the Total score, a significant main effect for gender was obtained [F(1,120) = 16.77, P < 0.0001], indicating that girls scored significantly higher (,~ = 142.64) than boys ( ~ = 123.35). No other significant effects for age or gender x age were found. The mean total fear score was 137.11 for the 7- to 9-yr-olds, 139.12 for the 10- to 12-yr-olds, 136.63 for the 13- to 15-yr-olds and 137.60 for the 16- to 18-yr-olds. Clearly, differences among the four age groups were not noted in the intensity o f fear. Not unexpectedly, significant main effects for gender were obtained for each of the five factor scores. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on the Failure and Criticism factor (~s = 34.53 and 31.55, respectively), the Fear of the Unknown factor (Xs = 29.86 and 25.82, respectively), the Fear of Injury and Small Animals factor (,(s = 38.29 and 30.52, respectively), the Fear of Danger and Death factor (,~s = 28.15 and 24.90, respectively) and the Medical Fears factor (,(s = 11.80 and 10.57, respectively). However, no significant age effects or gender x age interactions were noted for the five factors. For individual item analyses, girls reported higher levels o f fear than boys for 73 of the 80 items, with 40 of these differences statistically significant (P < 0.01). For the seven items in which boys scored higher than girls, none of the differences approached significance (P > 0.40 for all items). The greatest differences, albeit not significant, were on items tapping fear of going to school and receiving a report card. Individual item analyses further revealed significant main effects due to age for 11 of the 80 items. For five o f the items, 7- to 9-yr-olds reported greater fear than the other three age groups (dark rooms or closets, getting a haircut, going to bed in the dark, getting punished by my father and dark places); for three of the items the two younger groups of children (7- to 9- and 10- to 12-yr-olds) scored higher than the two groups of adolescents (getting lost in a strange place, talking on the telephone and having my parents argue); finally, for the remaining three items the adolescents (13- to 15-yr-olds and 16- to 18-yr-olds) scored higher than the younger children (bombing attacks--being invaded, being hit by a car or truck and getting a shock from electricity). Interestingly, for the first set of differences, four of the five items can be found on the Fear of the Unknown factor; for the second set of differences, one item each can be found on the Fear of Failure and Criticism, Fear of Danger and Death and Medical Fear factors; finally, for the third set of differences, all three of the items can be found on the Fear of Danger and Death factor. Thus, although factor score differences were not obtained, a pattern of results indicating that fears of the unknown were more troublesome for younger children and that fears of danger and death were more worrisome for the adolescents was noted.
Most common fears To explore the most common fears in these youth, the 10 fears rated with the greatest intensity were tabulated separately by gender for each age group. Interestingly, 8 of the top 10 fears were the same for girls of all ages and for boys of all ages except for the 7- to 9-yr-olds: not being able to breathe, a burglar breaking into our houses, fire---getting burned, getting hit by a car or truck, death or dead people, bombing attacks--being invaded, looking foolish and getting poor grades. The 7- to 9-yr-old boys shared 4 of these 8 fears: a burglar breaking into our house, fire---getting burned, not being able to breathe and death or dead people. Their remaining fears were more idiosyncratic and consisted of fears related to getting punished by father, going to a doctor, getting a shot, getting a cut, strange dogs and having to eat strange foods. The percentage of children and adolescents endorsing the 10 most common fears was as follows: being hit by a car or truck (42~); not being able to breathe (38~o); fire---getting burned (38~); death or dead people (36~); bombing attacks--being invaded (34~); getting poor grades (34~); a burglar breaking into our house (33~o); having my parents argue (33~o); looking foolish (31~); falling from high places (30~o); and being sent to the principal (30~o). These findings indicated that 30~ or more of children and adolescents in these age ranges report 'a lot' of fear to these specific stimuli. Interestingly, 8 of the 11 fears (two were tied for 10th place) can be found on the Fear of Danger and Death factor while the remaining 3 can be found on the Failure and Criticism factor. CONCLUSIONS Not unexpectedly, girls reported more fears and an overall higher intensity of fears than did boys. These findings were robust across a relatively wide age range of children and adolescents. In the present study, girls reported an average of 16 fears while boys reported an average of 8 fears. Of course, we do not know whether these differences in self-report reflect 'real' differences in fear or if they simply reflect the tendency of girls to report more veridically on such scales than boys (Finch and Rogers, 1984; Ollendick, 1983b). Regardless, these findings are consistent with previous ones which report higher levels of fear in girls than in boys and are useful normative data in the interpretation of such differences. Somewhat surprisingly, clear age differences in the quantity and patterns o f fears were not observed. Although trends were evident, suggesting more fears in younger children than in older children and adolescents, clear support for developmental differences was not noted. Further, while there was some support for qualitative differences (e.g. fear of the
CASE HISTORIESAND SHORTER COMMUNICATIONS
467
unknown in contrast to fears of danger and death) in the pattern of fears between younger children and older adolescents, the support was not unequivocal. In effect, fears of injury, natural events and social fears characterized all of these youths. In fact, 8 of the 10 most common fears were shared by children of all ages. This similarity in responding suggests a greater stability to fear stimuli than might be evident from the literature. For example, Graziano (1975) has commented upon the notion that childhood fears may be common, expected, transitory and not a particularly serious facet of development. The current findings certainly support the notion that they are common and expected; however, since the number of fears and the type of fears are similar across various ages suggests that they may not be transitory. Future research must address whether they are particularly problematic or 'serious' to the growing child. What seems especially alarming in the present study is the similarity in findings to those reported by Scherer and Nakamura (1968) nearly 20 years ago. At that time, they reported a similar number of fears, a similar intensity of fears and a similar set of 10 most common fears. Except for two items, "germs or getting a serious illness" and "failing a test", the 10 most common fears remained the same today as they were then: being hit by a car or truck, not being able to breathe, fire--getting burned, death or dead people, bombing attacks--being invaded, getting poor grades, having my parents argue and being sent to the principal. The two fears which have seemingly joined the 'top 10' are "a burglar breaking into our house" and "falling from a high place". While continued fear of physical danger is understandable, continued excessive fear of being sent to the principal, getting poor grades and having my parents argue is quite disconcerting. Surely, preventative efforts could be harnessed to offset the potentially debilitating effects associated with these common fears (e.g. Jason, 1980; Ollendick and Winett, 1984). In the interim, it would seem important to examine more carefully the 'seriousness' of these fears in children and to study the stability of these fears in a prospective design. The FSSC-R seems well-suited for this purpose.
Acknowledgements--This study was supported in part by a Spencer Fellowship from the National Academy of Education to the second author. All reprint requests should be addressed to the first author. REFERENCES
Finch A. J. Jr and Rogers T. R. (1984) Self-report instruments. In Child Behavior Assessment: Principles and Procedures (Edited by Ollendick T. H. and Hersen M.). Pergamon Press, New York. Graziano A. M. (1975) Behavior Therapy with Children, Vol. 2. Aldine, Chicago, I11. Jason L. A. (1980) Prevention in the schools. In Prevention in Mental Health: Research, Policy and Practices (Edited by Price R. H., Ketterer R. B., Bader B. C. and Monahan J.). Sage, Beverly Hills, Calif. Lapouse R. and Monk M. A. (1959) Fears and worries in a representative sample of children. Am. J. Orthopsychiat. 29, 223-248. Miller L. C. (1983) Fears and anxieties in children. In Handbook o f Clinical Child Psychology (Edited by Walker C. E. and Roberts M. C.). Wiley, New York. Morris R. J. and Kratochwill T. R. (1983) Treating Children's Fears and Phobias: a Behavioral Approach. Pergamon Press, New York. Ollendick T. H. (1983a) Anxiety-based disorders in children. In Outpatient Behavior Therapy: a Clinical Guide (Edited by Hersen M.). Grune & Stratton, New York. Ollendick T. H. (1983b) Reliability and validity of the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R). Behav. Res. Ther. 21, 685-692. Ollendick T. H. and Mayer J. A. (1984) School phobia. In Behavioral Theories and Treatment of Anxiety (Edited by Turner S. M.). Plenum Press, New York. Ollendick T. H. and Winett R. A. (1984) Primary prevention of child behavior problems. In Handbook of Clinical Behavior Therapy with Children (Edited by Bornstein P. H. and Kazdin A. E.). Dorsey Press, Homewood, Ill. Ollendick T. H., Matson J. L. and Helsel W. J. (1985) Fears in visually impaired and normally sighted youth. Submitted for publication. Scherer M. W. and Nakamura C. Y. (1968) A Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSS-FC): a factor analytic comparison with manifest anxiety (CMAS). Behav. Res. Ther. 6, 173-182.
CASE HISTORIES
0005-7967/85 $3.00 + 0.00 Copyright © 1985 Pergamon Press Ltd
AND
SHORTER
COMMUNICATIONS
Fears in children and adolescents: normative data THOMAS H. OLLEND1CK Department o f Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, U.S.A. JOHNNY L. MATSON a n d WILLIAM J. HELSEL Northern Illinois University, De Kalb, IL 60115, U.S.A.
(Received 24 October 1984) Summary--The present study examined the frequency, intensity and factor structure of fear in boys and girls between 7 and 18 yr of age. All youths were administered the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R). Results indicated that girls evinced quantitative and qualitative differences from boys in the intensity and structure of their self-reported fears. Chronological age differences were not found, however, suggesting that boys and girls across these age ranges reported a similar level and structure of fear. The present study establishes the utility of the FSSC-R for these various age ranges and provides valuable normative data regarding its use.
INTRODUCTION A considerable amount of research has focused on the prevalence o f fears in childhood--see recent reviews by Miller (1983), Morris and Kratochwill (1983) and Ollendick (1983a). In general, these studies show that childhood fears are relatively common, that the average child exhibits several fears throughout his or her development and that such fears are more prevalent in girls than in boys. Illustratively, based on parental reports, Lapouse and Monk (1959) reported an average of 11 fears in children between 6 and 12 yr of age; further, based on children's self-report, Ollendick (1983b) found a similar number of fears in children between 8 and 11 yr of age. In this latter study, girls were found to report an average of 13 excessive fears while boys reported an average of 9 excessive fears. While these figures may seem alarming, they indicate that girls report more fears than boys and that it is quite common for children of both sexes to evince multiple fears during childhood. In addition, these studies as well as others, have pointed to clear developmental trends in the presence of specific fears, especially when children of varying ages have been studied. At a very young age, fear of loud noises, loss of support and of separation from mother prevail while fears of imaginary creatures and small animals become more evident during the toddler years. Beginning with the fourth year, the predominant fear is darkness. During the fifth to sixth year, social fears including fear of school emerges. Interestingly, around 6 yr of age and up to adolescence, fears remain relatively constant and consist primarily of fears related to injury, natural events and social anxiety. Little is known regarding the presence or patterning of specific fears during adolescence, although there is some indication that moral, religious and sexual fears take on increasing importance at this time (Miller, 1983). The purpose of the present study was to examine the frequency and intensity of fears in children and adolescents between 7 and 18 yr of age, as reported by them. While self-report instruments have been eschewed by many researchers and clinicians, such instruments provide valuable information related to the child's own perception of events associated with specific target behaviors (Finch and Rogers, 1984). In the area of fear assessment, such instruments are especially useful in the identification of specific fear sensitivities in individual children (Ollendick, 1983b). In the present study, the recent revision of Scherer and Nakamura's (1968) 80-item Fear Survey Schedule for Children was used. For the revised version of the scale, Ollendick (1983b) reported acceptable internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity for normal 8- to 1 l-yr-old children. A meaningful factor structure consisting of five clusters o f fears was also reported: Fear of Failure and Criticism, Fear of the Unknown, Fear of Injury and Small Animals, Fear of Danger and Death and Medical Fears. Finally, the revised scale was shown to discriminate between school phobic and non-phobic children (Ollendick and Mayer, 1984) and to identify qualitative differences in the pattern of fear between visually-impaired and normally-sighted youths (Ollendick, Matson and Helsel, 1985). METHOD Subjects A total of 126 children and adolescents were examined: 66 girls and 60 boys. Ss ranged in age from 7 to 18 yr of age: 30 were between 7 and 9 yr of age, 34 were between 10 and 12 yr of age, 32 between 13 and 15 yr of age and 30 between 16 and 18 yr of age. All youths were enrolled in regular classrooms in northern and central Illinois. Youths with known mental-health contacts and/or special education placements were excluded from the sample. Although specific information on the socioeconomic status of children was not available, it is believed that a cross section of school-attending children was obtained. Limited information about the occupation of the head o f household revealed a fairly even distribution ranging from professional worker to service worker.
Procedure All youths were tested individually in their respective schools according to standard administration procedures for the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (Ollendick, 1983b). They were instructed to read each fear item carefully and 465
466
CASE FLISTORIES A N D S H O R T E R C O M M U N I C A T I O N S
to place an 'X' in the box in front of the words that described their level of fear ('none', 'some' or 'a lot'). In all cases, efforts were made to ensure that instructions were understood and that the stimulus items and response alternatives were clearly perceived. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Prevalence of fear In this sample, the prevalence of fear was determined by calculating the total number of stimuli which each child endorsed as producing a high degree of fear (i.e. 'a lot'). A 2 (male, female) x 4 (age: 7-9 yr, 10-12 yr, 13-15 yr, 16-18 yr) A N O V A on the total number of such fears revealed a significant main effect for gender with girls reporting significantly more fears (27 = 16.14) than boys (X = 8.28). Although significant effects for age and gender x age were not obtained, a trend toward a greater number of fears in younger children was evident. More specifically, 7- to 9-yr-olds reported an average of 14.24 fears, 10- to 12-yr-olds 13.64 fears, 13- to 15-yr-olds 12.08 fears and 16- to 18-yr-olds 11.55 fears. The average number of fears across gender and age was 12.62, affirming the fact that children and adolescent at these ages report a relatively large number of specific fears.
Intensity of fear In order to explore systematic differences in the intensity o f fear, a series of 2 (male, female) x 4 (age: 7-9 yr, 10-12 yr, 13-15 yr, 16-18 yr) ANOVAs were conducted on the Total FSSC-R score, the five factor scores and on each of the 80 individual items. For the Total score, a significant main effect for gender was obtained [F(1,120) = 16.77, P < 0.0001], indicating that girls scored significantly higher (,~ = 142.64) than boys ( ~ = 123.35). No other significant effects for age or gender x age were found. The mean total fear score was 137.11 for the 7- to 9-yr-olds, 139.12 for the 10- to 12-yr-olds, 136.63 for the 13- to 15-yr-olds and 137.60 for the 16- to 18-yr-olds. Clearly, differences among the four age groups were not noted in the intensity o f fear. Not unexpectedly, significant main effects for gender were obtained for each of the five factor scores. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on the Failure and Criticism factor (~s = 34.53 and 31.55, respectively), the Fear of the Unknown factor (Xs = 29.86 and 25.82, respectively), the Fear of Injury and Small Animals factor (,(s = 38.29 and 30.52, respectively), the Fear of Danger and Death factor (,~s = 28.15 and 24.90, respectively) and the Medical Fears factor (,(s = 11.80 and 10.57, respectively). However, no significant age effects or gender x age interactions were noted for the five factors. For individual item analyses, girls reported higher levels o f fear than boys for 73 of the 80 items, with 40 of these differences statistically significant (P < 0.01). For the seven items in which boys scored higher than girls, none of the differences approached significance (P > 0.40 for all items). The greatest differences, albeit not significant, were on items tapping fear of going to school and receiving a report card. Individual item analyses further revealed significant main effects due to age for 11 of the 80 items. For five o f the items, 7- to 9-yr-olds reported greater fear than the other three age groups (dark rooms or closets, getting a haircut, going to bed in the dark, getting punished by my father and dark places); for three of the items the two younger groups of children (7- to 9- and 10- to 12-yr-olds) scored higher than the two groups of adolescents (getting lost in a strange place, talking on the telephone and having my parents argue); finally, for the remaining three items the adolescents (13- to 15-yr-olds and 16- to 18-yr-olds) scored higher than the younger children (bombing attacks--being invaded, being hit by a car or truck and getting a shock from electricity). Interestingly, for the first set of differences, four of the five items can be found on the Fear of the Unknown factor; for the second set of differences, one item each can be found on the Fear of Failure and Criticism, Fear of Danger and Death and Medical Fear factors; finally, for the third set of differences, all three of the items can be found on the Fear of Danger and Death factor. Thus, although factor score differences were not obtained, a pattern of results indicating that fears of the unknown were more troublesome for younger children and that fears of danger and death were more worrisome for the adolescents was noted.
Most common fears To explore the most common fears in these youth, the 10 fears rated with the greatest intensity were tabulated separately by gender for each age group. Interestingly, 8 of the top 10 fears were the same for girls of all ages and for boys of all ages except for the 7- to 9-yr-olds: not being able to breathe, a burglar breaking into our houses, fire---getting burned, getting hit by a car or truck, death or dead people, bombing attacks--being invaded, looking foolish and getting poor grades. The 7- to 9-yr-old boys shared 4 of these 8 fears: a burglar breaking into our house, fire---getting burned, not being able to breathe and death or dead people. Their remaining fears were more idiosyncratic and consisted of fears related to getting punished by father, going to a doctor, getting a shot, getting a cut, strange dogs and having to eat strange foods. The percentage of children and adolescents endorsing the 10 most common fears was as follows: being hit by a car or truck (42~); not being able to breathe (38~o); fire---getting burned (38~); death or dead people (36~); bombing attacks--being invaded (34~); getting poor grades (34~); a burglar breaking into our house (33~o); having my parents argue (33~o); looking foolish (31~); falling from high places (30~o); and being sent to the principal (30~o). These findings indicated that 30~ or more of children and adolescents in these age ranges report 'a lot' of fear to these specific stimuli. Interestingly, 8 of the 11 fears (two were tied for 10th place) can be found on the Fear of Danger and Death factor while the remaining 3 can be found on the Failure and Criticism factor. CONCLUSIONS Not unexpectedly, girls reported more fears and an overall higher intensity of fears than did boys. These findings were robust across a relatively wide age range of children and adolescents. In the present study, girls reported an average of 16 fears while boys reported an average of 8 fears. Of course, we do not know whether these differences in self-report reflect 'real' differences in fear or if they simply reflect the tendency of girls to report more veridically on such scales than boys (Finch and Rogers, 1984; Ollendick, 1983b). Regardless, these findings are consistent with previous ones which report higher levels of fear in girls than in boys and are useful normative data in the interpretation of such differences. Somewhat surprisingly, clear age differences in the quantity and patterns o f fears were not observed. Although trends were evident, suggesting more fears in younger children than in older children and adolescents, clear support for developmental differences was not noted. Further, while there was some support for qualitative differences (e.g. fear of the
CASE HISTORIESAND SHORTER COMMUNICATIONS
467
unknown in contrast to fears of danger and death) in the pattern of fears between younger children and older adolescents, the support was not unequivocal. In effect, fears of injury, natural events and social fears characterized all of these youths. In fact, 8 of the 10 most common fears were shared by children of all ages. This similarity in responding suggests a greater stability to fear stimuli than might be evident from the literature. For example, Graziano (1975) has commented upon the notion that childhood fears may be common, expected, transitory and not a particularly serious facet of development. The current findings certainly support the notion that they are common and expected; however, since the number of fears and the type of fears are similar across various ages suggests that they may not be transitory. Future research must address whether they are particularly problematic or 'serious' to the growing child. What seems especially alarming in the present study is the similarity in findings to those reported by Scherer and Nakamura (1968) nearly 20 years ago. At that time, they reported a similar number of fears, a similar intensity of fears and a similar set of 10 most common fears. Except for two items, "germs or getting a serious illness" and "failing a test", the 10 most common fears remained the same today as they were then: being hit by a car or truck, not being able to breathe, fire--getting burned, death or dead people, bombing attacks--being invaded, getting poor grades, having my parents argue and being sent to the principal. The two fears which have seemingly joined the 'top 10' are "a burglar breaking into our house" and "falling from a high place". While continued fear of physical danger is understandable, continued excessive fear of being sent to the principal, getting poor grades and having my parents argue is quite disconcerting. Surely, preventative efforts could be harnessed to offset the potentially debilitating effects associated with these common fears (e.g. Jason, 1980; Ollendick and Winett, 1984). In the interim, it would seem important to examine more carefully the 'seriousness' of these fears in children and to study the stability of these fears in a prospective design. The FSSC-R seems well-suited for this purpose.
Acknowledgements--This study was supported in part by a Spencer Fellowship from the National Academy of Education to the second author. All reprint requests should be addressed to the first author. REFERENCES
Finch A. J. Jr and Rogers T. R. (1984) Self-report instruments. In Child Behavior Assessment: Principles and Procedures (Edited by Ollendick T. H. and Hersen M.). Pergamon Press, New York. Graziano A. M. (1975) Behavior Therapy with Children, Vol. 2. Aldine, Chicago, I11. Jason L. A. (1980) Prevention in the schools. In Prevention in Mental Health: Research, Policy and Practices (Edited by Price R. H., Ketterer R. B., Bader B. C. and Monahan J.). Sage, Beverly Hills, Calif. Lapouse R. and Monk M. A. (1959) Fears and worries in a representative sample of children. Am. J. Orthopsychiat. 29, 223-248. Miller L. C. (1983) Fears and anxieties in children. In Handbook o f Clinical Child Psychology (Edited by Walker C. E. and Roberts M. C.). Wiley, New York. Morris R. J. and Kratochwill T. R. (1983) Treating Children's Fears and Phobias: a Behavioral Approach. Pergamon Press, New York. Ollendick T. H. (1983a) Anxiety-based disorders in children. In Outpatient Behavior Therapy: a Clinical Guide (Edited by Hersen M.). Grune & Stratton, New York. Ollendick T. H. (1983b) Reliability and validity of the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R). Behav. Res. Ther. 21, 685-692. Ollendick T. H. and Mayer J. A. (1984) School phobia. In Behavioral Theories and Treatment of Anxiety (Edited by Turner S. M.). Plenum Press, New York. Ollendick T. H. and Winett R. A. (1984) Primary prevention of child behavior problems. In Handbook of Clinical Behavior Therapy with Children (Edited by Bornstein P. H. and Kazdin A. E.). Dorsey Press, Homewood, Ill. Ollendick T. H., Matson J. L. and Helsel W. J. (1985) Fears in visually impaired and normally sighted youth. Submitted for publication. Scherer M. W. and Nakamura C. Y. (1968) A Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSS-FC): a factor analytic comparison with manifest anxiety (CMAS). Behav. Res. Ther. 6, 173-182.