Davey G C
Behav Res Ther. 1989;27(1):51-8. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(89)90119-8.
The present study investigated some of the factors which differentiate individuals with dental anxieties and phobias from those without such fears. In particular, two questions were addressed: (i) What differentiates subjects who have never been anxious about dental treatment from subjects who at some time have been anxious? and (ii) What factors lead to subjects changing their attitudes either from anxious to relaxed or from relaxed to anxious? The results suggest that the factors which influence the acquisition and modulation of dental anxieties are consistent with the associative and representational processes portrayed in contemporary models of human conditioning. Subjects who reported never having had anxieties about dental treatment were less likely to have had a painful dental treatment than subjects who did report an anxiety. Subjects who did report a painful dental experience but did not acquire anxiety reported a history of dental treatment favourable to the operation of latent inhibition. Subjects who reported that they were good at enduring pain were more likely to report a longer interval between their very first dental treatment and their first painful dental treatment. Under some conditions in which latent inhibition should have precluded the acquisition of a dental fear, an anxiety appeared to be acquired because a very painful experience had attenuated the latent inhibition process. Subjects whose dental anxiety did not remit reported significantly more painful and traumatic dental experiences than subjects whose anxiety did remit.
本研究调查了一些将有牙科焦虑症和恐惧症的人与没有此类恐惧的人区分开来的因素。具体而言，探讨了两个问题：（i）从未对牙科治疗感到焦虑的受试者与曾在某个时候感到焦虑的受试者有何不同？以及（ii）哪些因素导致受试者的态度从焦虑转变为放松，或从放松转变为焦虑？结果表明，影响牙科焦虑症的习得和调节的因素与当代人类条件作用模型中所描述的联想和表征过程一致。报告从未对牙科治疗感到焦虑的受试者比报告有焦虑的受试者经历痛苦牙科治疗的可能性更小。报告有痛苦牙科经历但未产生焦虑的受试者报告了有利于潜伏抑制作用的牙科治疗史。报告称自己善于忍受疼痛的受试者更有可能报告其首次牙科治疗与首次痛苦牙科治疗之间的间隔时间更长。在一些潜伏抑制本应阻止牙科恐惧习得的情况下，由于非常痛苦的经历削弱了潜伏抑制过程，焦虑似乎还是产生了。牙科焦虑症未缓解的受试者比焦虑症已缓解的受试者报告的痛苦和创伤性牙科经历明显更多。
