Miguel Hernández University (Spain).
University of Greifswald (Germany).
Psicothema. 2024 Aug;36(3):297-305. doi: 10.7334/psicothema2023.359.
Nighttime fears are common among school-aged children and may be linked to psychological difficulties, while coping strategies may vary and affect their emotional well-being. This study aimed to identify patterns of nighttime fears and coping styles in school-aged children using Latent Profile Analysis. Subsequently, possible predictors of the latent profiles were tested through multinomial logistic regression analysis.
A sample of 786 Spanish-speaking children (aged 8 to 12; Mage = 9.66, = 1.20; 51.3% girls) participated and completed self-report measures of nighttime fears and coping responses.
The results revealed four latent profiles: (1)"low fears, low self-control" (24.2%), (2)"high fears (except for imaginary fears), maladaptive coping" (22.8%), (3)"moderate fears, adaptive coping" (44.9%), and (4)"high fears, maladaptive coping" (8.1%). The regression analysis revealed that sociodemographic characteristics and children's perceived helpfulness of coping strategies were predictors of the latent profiles.
These findings suggest the presence of distinct patterns and heterogeneous subgroups, which may emerge as higher or lower risk profiles. It highlights the need to consider the existing patterns to provide tailored interventions targeting nighttime fears.
夜间恐惧在学龄儿童中很常见，可能与心理困难有关，而应对策略可能因个体而异，并影响其情绪健康。本研究旨在使用潜在剖面分析来确定学龄儿童的夜间恐惧和应对方式模式。随后，通过多项逻辑回归分析测试潜在剖面的可能预测因子。
本研究选取了 786 名西班牙语为母语的儿童（年龄 8 至 12 岁；Mage = 9.66，SD = 1.20；51.3%为女孩）作为样本，他们完成了关于夜间恐惧和应对反应的自我报告式测量。
研究结果揭示了四个潜在的模式：（1）“低恐惧，低自我控制”（24.2%）；（2）“高恐惧（除了想象恐惧外），适应不良的应对”（22.8%）；（3）“中等恐惧，适应性应对”（44.9%）；以及（4）“高恐惧，适应不良的应对”（8.1%）。回归分析表明，社会人口统计学特征和儿童对应对策略的感知有用性是潜在模式的预测因子。
这些发现表明存在不同的模式和异质的亚组，这些模式可能表现为更高或更低的风险水平。它强调了需要考虑现有的模式，以便为夜间恐惧提供针对性的干预措施。
