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Cited by 185Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesChild Therapy and Development

Fears and Phobias in Children: Phenomenology, Epidemiology, and Aetiology

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Ollendick, Thomas H., King, Neville J., Muris, Peter·2002·Child and Adolescent Mental Health
DOI 10.1111/1475-3588.00019
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Abstract

We examine the phenomenology, epidemiology, and aetiology of specific phobias in this brief review. In general terms, a specific phobia exists when fear of a specific object or situation is exaggerated, cannot be reasoned away, results in avoidance of the feared object or situation, persists over time, and is not age‐specific. Specific phobias occur in about 5% of children and in approximately 15% of children referred for anxiety‐related problems. Most of these children are comorbid with other disorders. We suggest that specific phobias are multiply determined and over‐determined. Genetic influences, temperamental predispositions, parental psychopathology, parenting practices, and individual conditioning histories converge to occasion the development and maintenance of childhood phobias. Inasmuch as any one specific phobia is acquired and maintained through such complex processes, we further conclude that treatment approaches will need to address these multiple dimensions before evidence‐based treatments can be fully realised.

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  • The development and maintenance of fears and phobias is multi-determined, arising from a combination of reciprocal biopsychosocial influences including child factors, parent factors, and learning experiences.

    “The development and maintenance of fears and phobias is multi-determined, arising from a combination of reciprocal biopsychosocial in fl uences including child factors (e.g., temperament, genetics, and cognitive processing of threat), parent factors (e.g., parental psychopathology, parenting practices), and learning experiences (e.g., stress, trauma, fear conditioning) (Kane et al., 2015; Ollendic”

    From Specific Phobia in Young Children: Associations between the Origins of Fear and Clinical Expression of Phobia Symptoms. (2025) · cites this paper as Ollendick et al., 2002

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Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. Biederman, J., Rosenbaum, J. F., Chaloff, J., & Kagan, J. (1995). Behavioral inhibition as a risk factor. In J. S. March (Ed.), Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (pp. 61- 81). New York: Guilford Press.
  2. Costello, E. G., & Angold, A. (1995). Epidemiology. In J. S. March (Ed.), Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (pp. 109-122). New York: Guilford.
  3. Gray, J. A., & McNaughton, N. (2000). The neuropsychology of anxiety (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  4. Kashani, J. H., Beck, N. C., Hoeper, E. W., Fallahi, C., Corcoran, C. M., McAllister, J. A., Rosenberg, T. K., & Reid, J. C. (1987). Psychiatric disorders in a community sample of adolescents. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 584-549.
  5. Marks, I. M. (1969). Fears and phobias. New York: Academic Press.
  6. Muris, P., & Merckelbach, H. (2000). The etiology of childhood specific phobia: A multifactorial model. In M. W. Vasey & M. R. Dadds (Eds.), The developmental psychopathology of anxiety (pp. 355-385). New York: Oxford University Press.
  7. Ollendick, T. H., & King, N. J. (1991a). Fears and phobias of childhood. In M. Herbert (Ed.), Clinical child psychology: Social learning, development and behavior (pp. 309-329). Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons.
  8. World Health Organisation (1991). International classifi- cation of mental and behavioral disorders, clinical des- criptions and diagnostic guidelines (10th ed.). Geneva: Author.

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Authors
Ollendick, T. H., King, N. J., & Muris, P.
Affiliations
  • Virginia Tech (US)
  • Monash University (AU)
  • Maastricht University (NL)
ORCID
Venue
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2002-08-06
Volume
7
Issue
3
Pages
98-106
ISSN
  • 1475-357X (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-3588
DOI
10.1111/1475-3588.00019
OpenAlex
W2152693905
Cited by
185
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 8
FWCI
7.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Child and Adolescent Mental Health (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Therapy and Development
Keywords
specific phobia, childhood phobia, fear, comorbidities, genetic factors, temperament, parental psychopathology, parenting practices, conditioning, evidence-based treatment, anxiety disorders

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