The development and psychometric evaluation of the Fear Experiences Questionnaire: an attempt to disentangle the fear and anxiety constructs

Abstract

Indicative of the lack of knowledge that exists regarding the underlying processes of fear and anxiety experiences is the debate about whether they are the same or separate constructs. Some researchers distinguish anxiety from fear arguing that anxiety has a diffuse nature whereas fear is stimulus-specific. Others argue that there is no difference between the two, however, the debate is clouded by the fact that each construct is measured in ways which relate to this superficial distinction. We report two studies. The first study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Fear Experiences Questionnaire (FEQ) which was constructed in order to assess fear in a manner consistent with the assessment of anxiety. This study involved a sample of 245 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years. In study 2, a slightly refined FEQ was administered to a sample of 901 adolescents along with the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-II, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. The FEQ was found to have good reliability and validity. On the basis of a principal components analysis, including both fear and anxiety items, it was concluded that fear and anxiety are related but separate constructs.

Fear, worry, and ritualistic behaviour in childhood: developmental trends and interrelations

“…In line with previous arguments that fear and anxiety are related constructs (e.g. Gullone et al, 2000) we expected fear and worry to be positively related across childhood and adolescence (Hypothesis 4). It was also anticipated that ritualistic behaviour would be positively related to fear across childhood, extending the findings of Evans et al (1997) (Hypothesis 5).…”

“…Fear can be defined as a concern regarding danger or threat to survival (Gullone, King, & Ollendick, 2000). Empirical studies of childhood fear have demonstrated both that it is common (Gullone & King, 1997) and that it follows a specific ontogenetic course.…”

What is the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children measuring?

“…Perception of threat is more likely to be a function of children's trait anxiety levels than of children's actual fear level (see Marks, 1987). It is clear that future research should address this issue so that more specific instruments for assessing fears of children can be developed that more directly map on to the direct experiences of children and their daily lives (e.g., Gullone, King, & Ollendick, 2000;Muris, Schmidt, Merckelbach, & Schouten, 2001). …”

Defining and documenting threats in the context of ill-treatment and torture

“…In other words, fear is distinguished from anxiety by being present-oriented and certain, rather than future-oriented and uncertain (Carleton, 2016). The two conditions are related to different brain parts (Gullone et al, 2000;J. E. LeDoux, 2014).…”