Children's fears are not only a part of their development but can also reflect unique cultural and societal norms as well as the influence of current affairs on cognition & behaviour

Identifying prevalent fears in children of Karachi,Pakistan and gender/age differences.

Identifying common fears and assessing the impact of sociopolitical factors on children's perception

1171 children (731 boys, 440 girls) from classes 3–10 of a large school were selected and completed the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (Revised).

The highest overall fear was of’Bombing attacks/being invaded’, which was also the highest in boys (’Snakes’ in girls). The greatest gender difference was seen in the fear of lizards (p < 0.001). The overall average FSSC-R score was 133(27.5) and frequency of intense fears was 16(12.4), both higher in girls. Younger children had greater scores and intense fears compared to adolescents.

Children are uniquely sensitive to “adult” issues, evidenced by the highest fear overall: bombing attacks/invasions, while fear of terrorists also ranked high (#11). Fears related to academic performance increased with age whereas younger children were more fearful of items perceived as causing physical harm; reflecting that stresses of education displace fears of danger and injury. Of the ten items with the greatest gender-differences, all belonged to the “Minor Injury/Small Animals” category. Lastly, comparison with previous studies showed no significant difference (p > 0.1) in either total scores or intensity of fears, suggesting that despite varying individual fears the overall profile remained constant for children of different cultures.