Three‐year follow‐up of normal fear in children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years

Normative fears of 273 children and adolescents aged between 7 and 18 years were examined over a three‐year period. Respondents' gender and initial fear scores were found to be better predictors of follow‐up fear scores than age suggesting a trait component to fearfulness and underlining the pervasive influence of gender on fearfulness. Also, the results yielded a general decrease in fearfulness between initial and follow‐up assessment which was most marked for the 7‐ to 10‐year‐olds. At approximately 11 years of age a degree of stability for all fears, with the exception of psychic stress‐related fears, became apparent. In contrast, for these fears there was a general increase over time. Older children and boys reported fewer fears and a lower intensity of fearfulness than younger children and girls, respectively. The most common fears related to death and danger and were relatively stable over time.