Sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of 62 youth with animal and natural environment types of specific phobia were examined in a treatment-seeking sample. Differences due to age, sex, ethnicity, family structure, and family socioeconomic status were not found between youth with the two types of specific phobia. Moreover, differences were not obtained between the two groups in the clinical severity of their phobias, the perceived dangerousness of the feared outcomes associated with their phobias, the perceived levels of coping with their phobias, or overall fearfulness. However, differences between youth with the two types of specific phobias were found on somatic/anxious symptoms, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. In addition, differences were noted on withdrawn, somatic complaints, anxious/depressed symptoms, and social problems as reported by the mothers of these youngsters. Finally, differences in the percent of co-occurring anxiety disorders between youth with the two types of specific phobia were found. On all of the domains in which differences were found, youth with the natural environment type fared more poorly than those with the animal type. These findings converge with those obtained in treatment studies which indicate that youth with the natural environment type are more difficult to treat than youth with the animal type.According to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), a specific phobia is defined as a persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable and that is cued by the presence of a specific object or situation. Specific phobias are classified into five major types: animal (e.g., insects, snakes, dogs), natural environment (e.g., darkness, storms, heights), situational (e.g., enclosed spaces, elevators, flying), blood-injection-injury (BII) (e.g., seeing blood, receiving Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Brown, and Barlow (1997) indicated that BII phobias are associated with reduced physiological arousal whereas other phobia types are characterized by heightened physiological arousal. However, the clinical features of specific phobia types in children have not been examined heretofore. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine such differences in two major types of phobia in children and adolescents: animal and natural environment types.
NIH Public AccessTo date, only a few investigations have reported on sociodemographic characteristics of children with specific phobias in community and clinical sampl...