Grill Eva, Schäffler Florian, Huppert Doreen, Müller Martin, Kapfhammer Hans-Peter, Brandt Thomas
Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology (IBE), Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Marchioninistr. 17, 81377 Munich, Germany; German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology (IBE), Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Marchioninistr. 17, 81377 Munich, Germany; Hochschule München - University of Applied Sciences, Department of Applied Social Sciences, Am Stadtpark 20, 81243 Munich, Germany.
PLoS One. 2014 Dec 30;9(12):e116220. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116220. eCollection 2014.
Responses to height may range from indifference to minor distress to severe symptoms of fear of heights (acrophobia); visual height intolerance (vHI) denotes the whole spectrum of symptoms. Although there are options to manage vHI, only a small part of persons affected by vHI are willing to seek professional help or confront their problem. Purpose of this study was to determine if persons with vHI, specifically those who show avoidant behavior towards heights (avoiders), score lower in their general self-efficacy (GSE) than those who confront vHI (confronters).
Cross-sectional survey in 607 individuals living in the urban region of Munich, Germany, using a mailed questionnaire on presence or absence of vHI, confronting or avoiding behaviour, and GSE.
Of all participants (mean age 53.9, 50.3% female), 407 reported life-time presence of vHI. Participants with vHI had a mean GSE score of 31.8 (SD 4.3) points (participants without vHI: 32.5, SD 4.3, p = 0.008 for difference). Among individuals with vHI, 23% reported confronting behavior. Confronters were significantly younger (p<.0001, 50.2 vs. 55.7 years), more likely to be female (p = 0.0039, 64.3% female), and had a higher GSE score (p = 0.0049, 32.5 vs. 31.1). Associations remained significant after multiple adjustment.
Our study provides evidence for the association of GSE and vHI. These findings may have consequences for strategies of alleviation and therapy of vHI.
对高度的反应范围可能从漠不关心到轻微不适，再到恐高（恐高症）的严重症状；视觉性高度不耐受（vHI）涵盖了所有这些症状。虽然有办法应对vHI，但只有一小部分受vHI影响的人愿意寻求专业帮助或直面自己的问题。本研究的目的是确定患有vHI的人，特别是那些对高度表现出回避行为的人（回避者），其一般自我效能感（GSE）得分是否低于直面vHI的人（直面者）。
对居住在德国慕尼黑市区的607人进行横断面调查，通过邮寄问卷询问是否存在vHI、直面或回避行为以及GSE情况。
在所有参与者（平均年龄53.9岁，50.3%为女性）中，407人报告一生中存在vHI。患有vHI的参与者GSE平均得分为31.8（标准差4.3）分（无vHI的参与者：32.5，标准差4.3，差异p = 0.008）。在患有vHI的个体中，23%报告有直面行为。直面者明显更年轻（p <.0001，50.2岁对55.7岁），更可能为女性（p = 0.0039，64.3%为女性），且GSE得分更高（p = 0.0049，32.5对31.1）。经过多重调整后，关联仍具有显著性。
我们的研究为GSE与vHI之间的关联提供了证据。这些发现可能对vHI的缓解和治疗策略产生影响。
