Type and frequency of children's fears : a comparison of self-care and adult-care children

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Eileen Tate Lopp (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Hyman Rodman

Abstract: Self-care and adult-care children were compared on the frequency with which they reported experiencing fear, on the types of fears that they reported having, and on how they coped with fear. Responses were obtained from 72 matched pairs of self-care and adult-care children. The children were matched on age, sex, race, family composition, and SES. A matched pairs t test indicated that more self-care children report having after-school fears than do adult-care children. But no differences were found for any of the other four measures of fear. Based on a review of the literature on types of children's fears and on children's methods of coping with fears, typologies were constructed and children's responses were coded according to these typologies. Chi-square analyses of the fear and coping responses indicated that there were significant differences between self-care children and adult-care children. Children in adult-care reported more fears of animals and of being alone or separated from family than did self-care children, who reported more fears than adult-care children of interactions with people, of violence, and of imaginary creatures, the dark, and scary TV shows. The most common method of coping with fears for children in both groups was avoidance/escape; but more self-care children reported using it than did adult-care children. Instead, children in adult-care reported using more internal self-control methods of coping with fear.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 1989
Subjects
Child care $x Psychological aspects
Fear in children
Latchkey children $x Attitudes
Children $x Attitudes

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