Ollendick T H, Yang B, King N J, Dong Q, Akande A
Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech and State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Blacksburg 24061-0436, USA.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1996 Feb;37(2):213-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1996.tb01393.x.
The fears of childhood and adolescence may differ from one cultural context to another. We explored this possibility in 1200 American, Australian, Chinese, and Nigerian children and adolescents between 7 and 17 years of age. Responses to a standard fear survey schedule revealed significant differences in the number, content, pattern, and level of fears. Nigerian children and adolescents endorsed fears at higher levels than American, Australian, or Chinese youth who did not differ from one another. However, differences in the pattern and content of fears for boys and girls of different ages were noted across the countries. Results were interpreted within a cultural context, which suggested that cultures which favor inhibition, compliance, and obedience serve to increase levels of fear. Alternative interpretations are offered and limitations of cross-cultural research are explored.
童年和青春期的恐惧可能因文化背景的不同而有所差异。我们对1200名年龄在7至17岁之间的美国、澳大利亚、中国和尼日利亚儿童及青少年进行了这方面可能性的探究。对一份标准恐惧调查问卷的回答显示，在恐惧的数量、内容、模式和程度上存在显著差异。尼日利亚儿童和青少年认可的恐惧程度高于美国、澳大利亚或中国的青少年，而后三者之间没有差异。然而，在不同国家中，不同年龄的男孩和女孩在恐惧模式和内容上存在差异。研究结果在文化背景中得到了解读，这表明崇尚克制、顺从和服从的文化会导致恐惧程度增加。我们还提供了其他解释，并探讨了跨文化研究的局限性。
