Liddell A, Locker D, Burman D
Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Canada.
Behav Res Ther. 1991;29(2):105-12. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(91)90037-4.
From studies of fears in children and adolescents, it was concluded that fears decrease with age and that girls show more fears than boys at the approach of adolescence. Community studies of adult fears as well as psychopathology have suggested a decrease in fears and phobic and anxiety symptoms with age. However, little is known of the distribution of fears in older adults. In view of this, the FSS-II was administered to a group of individuals aged 50 yr and over, as part of a larger epidemiological investigation of the oral health and treatment needs of older adults within Metropolitan Toronto. The results supported the hypothesis that the gender differences which ermerge at adolescence hold up into old age. The predicted age decrease in fearfulness was also supported.
通过对儿童和青少年恐惧心理的研究得出结论，恐惧会随着年龄增长而减少，且在临近青春期时女孩比男孩表现出更多恐惧。针对成年人恐惧心理以及精神病理学的社区研究表明，恐惧、恐惧症和焦虑症状会随着年龄增长而减少。然而，对于老年人恐惧心理的分布情况却知之甚少。鉴于此，作为对大多伦多地区老年人口腔健康和治疗需求进行的一项规模更大的流行病学调查的一部分，对一组年龄在50岁及以上的个体进行了“恐惧自评量表第二版（FSS-II）”测试。结果支持了这样一种假设，即青春期出现的性别差异会持续到老年。恐惧随年龄下降这一预测也得到了支持。
