Animal phobias in children: aetiology, assessment and treatment

King, Neville J.; Ollendick, Thomas H.; Murphy, Gregory C.; Muris, Peter

doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-0879(200002)7:1<11::aid-cpp226>3.0.co;2-x

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…We also found no evidence of a relationship between interest in biophobias and the prevalence of anxiety disorders in the population, indicating that biophobias may be driven by different factors from those linked to other mental disorders. Overall, further research is needed to disentangle the relative importance of the three pathways in the origin of biophobias, as it is likely that all three pathways are simultaneously present and potentially interact in driving the emergence of different biophobias at the population level (King et al, 2000; Rachman, 1977).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The searchscape of fear: A global analysis of internet search trends for biophobias

Correia

Mammola

2023

People and Nature

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Human relationships with nature may sometimes manifest through fear, disgust and other disease‐avoidance mechanisms. While there is an evolutionary utility to these so‐called ‘biophobias’, many people exhibit phobic responses towards organisms that pose no tangible threats, potentially leading to excessive anxiety and avoidance of interactions with nature. Understanding the drivers of the prevalence and spread of biophobias in modern societies is, therefore, a growing concern. Here, we posit that online information‐seeking patterns may reveal general insights into biophobias. Using a culturomics approach, we gathered temporal (2004–2022) and country‐level data on the volume of internet searches for 25 biophobias, as well as 25 general phobias acting as a benchmark group. We explored temporal trends in the volume of search for each biophobias and modelled relationships between search volume for biophobias and five country‐level variables. We observed a steady increase in online search volume for biophobias between 2004 and 2022. Yet, there were marked differences in individual trends, with 17 biophobias showing positive, three negative and five stationary temporal trends. Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) attracted the most interest, followed by mysophobia (fear of microbes) and parasitophobia (fear of parasites). The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Mexico and India recorded wide interest in most biophobias, whereas 49% of countries showed no search volume for any biophobia. Search patterns for biophobias were strongly associated with the percentage of urban population, urban population growth and the number of extant venomous species in a given country. Conversely, search patterns for biophobias were weakly correlated with the incidence of anxiety disorders in a country's population and the likelihood of encounters with venomous animals. Our results provide quantitative support to the hypothesis that biophobias are broadly prevalent and possibly increasing as a result of widespread urbanisation and loss of experiences with nature. We suggest that people affected by biophobic disorders may be using the Internet as a key venue to seek relevant information to appraise their condition and identify coping mechanisms. These findings have broad ramifications for understanding and mitigating human–wildlife conflicts and the prevalence of widespread biophobic sentiments in modern societies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The searchscape of fear: A global analysis of internet search trends for biophobias

Correia

Mammola

2023

People and Nature

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“…This ratio was also replicated for specific phobias (26.5 vs. 12.9%, Frederikson et al, 1996 ), and differences in prevalence rates are especially pronounced for fear of animals, as approximately 12% of women but only 3% of men report clinically relevant animal phobia ( Frederikson et al, 1996 ). Sex differences in the prevalence of anxiety disorders emerge already early in childhood (e.g., King et al, 2000 ; McLean and Anderson, 2009 ) and continue throughout young adulthood ( Mackinaw-Koons and Vasey, 2000 ; Muris et al, 2000 ). Again, differences in prevalence rates between girls and boys are most pronounced for animal phobia, as girls are at a higher risk of acquiring animal fears than boys (odds ratio: 2.03, Meltzer et al, 2009 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Girls’ Stuff? Maternal Gender Stereotypes and Their Daughters’ Fear

et al. 2022

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One of the most robust findings in psychopathology is the fact that specific phobias are more prevalent in women than in men. Although there are several theoretical accounts for biological and social contributions to this gender difference, empirical data are surprisingly limited. Interestingly, there is evidence that individuals with stereotypical feminine characteristics are more fearful than those with stereotypical masculine characteristics; this is beyond biological sex. Because gender role stereotypes are reinforced by parental behavior, we aimed to examine the relationship of maternal gender stereotypes and children’s fear. Dyads of 38 mothers and their daughters (between ages 6 and 10) were included. We assessed maternal implicit and explicit gender stereotypes as well as their daughters’ self-reported general fearfulness, specific fear of snakes, and approach behavior toward a living snake. First, mothers’ fear of snakes significantly correlated with their daughters’ fear of snakes. Second, mothers’ gender stereotypes significantly correlated with their daughters’ self-reported fear. Specifically, maternal implicit gender stereotypes were associated with daughters’ fear of snakes and fear ratings in response to the snake. Moreover, in children, self-reported fear correlated with avoidance of the fear-relevant animal. Together, these results provide first evidence for a potential role of parental gender stereotypes in the development and maintenance of fear in their offspring.

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Insect and Human Flourishing in Early Childhood Education: Learning and Crawling Together

Boileau¹,

Russell²

2018

Springer International Handbooks of Education

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Animal phobias in children: aetiology, assessment and treatment

Cited by 6 publications

References 61 publications

The searchscape of fear: A global analysis of internet search trends for biophobias

The searchscape of fear: A global analysis of internet search trends for biophobias

Girls’ Stuff? Maternal Gender Stereotypes and Their Daughters’ Fear

Insect and Human Flourishing in Early Childhood Education: Learning and Crawling Together

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