Fear in psychology

A subcortical pathway is thought to have evolved to facilitate fear information transmission, but direct evidence for its existence in humans is lacking. In recent years, rapid, preattentive, and preconscious fear processing has been demonstrated, providing indirect support for the existence of the subcortical pathway by challenging the necessity of canonical cortical pathways in fear processing. However, direct support also requires evidence for the involvement of subcortical regions in fear processing. To address this issue, here we investigate whether fear processing reflects the characteristics of the subcortical structures in the hypothesized subcortical pathway...

In six studies, we find evidence of efficiency neglect: when thinking about the effects of population growth, people intuitively focus on increased demand while neglecting the changes in production efficiency that occur alongside, and often in response to, increased demand. In other words, people tend to think of others solely as consumers, rather than as consumers as well as producers. Efficiency neglect leads to beliefs that the real costs of some consumer goods are rising when they are actually decreasing and may contribute to antiimmigration sentiments because of the fear that increasing local population creates competition for fixed resources...

Preschoolers who display extremely inhibited behavior are at risk for the development of anxiety disorders. However, behavioral inhibition (BI) is a multifaceted characteristic. Some children with BI are fearful when confronted by unfamiliar adults, peers, and objects; others are fearful when separated from their parents. In the present study, we examined specific features of BI that predicted observed friendship formation among preschoolers who are behaviorally inhibited. We also examined whether teacher ratings of classroom behaviors predicted friendship formation...

OBJECTIVE: Women dealing with breast cancer (BC) face many challenges, one of which is the fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). This study examined whether disease severity predicts FCR 6 months after cancer diagnosis through psychological distress and whether cognitive-emotion regulation moderates this effect. METHOD: The study sample included 656 women from Italy (27.5%), Finland (31.9%), Israel (19.8%), and Portugal (20.8%) diagnosed with Stages I-III of BC. Participants' age ranged between 40 and 70 years ( M = 54...

Aims: To characterise and understand the untreated high-risk opioid user population in Finland, and to determine the reasons why these people do not enter treatment. Methods: The study setting was a half-year cross-sectional survey in Finland during 2021-2022. An electronic questionnaire with 24 structured questions was concluded in 16 needle exchange units. Participants were opioid-dependent people without opioid agonist treatment (OAT), and they answered the survey voluntarily and anonymously. Results: Of the 167 respondents, 62% were men, 53% were aged ≤34 years, 66% had used opioids for >6 years, and 78% used drugs intravenously (IV) daily...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application effect of intelligent health education based on the health belief model on patients with postoperative kinesophobia after surgical treatment of cervical spondylosis. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted with patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy, decompression, and fusion surgery with a single central nerve and spine center, and who had postoperative kinesophobia, ie, fear of movement. The patients made voluntary decisions concerning whether they would receive the intervention of intelligent health education...

INTRODUCTION: We consider the UK Independent Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours' (SPI-B) support for fear messaging during the global COVID-19 pandemic, evaluate the consequences and make recommendations for the future. ANALYSIS: Using evidence from published documents, we show that SPI-B supported the use of fear messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is inconsistent with the extant psychological literature and contrary to the disaster planning literature...

Personality research is of relevance because it provides insights into the psychological strengths and vulnerabilities of a person. Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder following acute thiamine deficiency, usually as a consequence of alcohol-use disorders. Research on personality traits of KS patients is currently limited. The aim of the current exploratory study was therefore to examine the personality traits and problems of KS patients. We assessed self-reported and informant-reported personality traits and problems in institutionalized KS patients ( n  = 30)...

INTRODUCTION: Chronic pain can profoundly affect the wellbeing of dogs and our understanding is limited regarding the multidimensional impact it has on dog quality of life. This study aimed to assess the factors that are significant and predictive of behavior problems in dogs using the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) to further understand what factors influence their welfare. METHODS: Seventy six AWAG assessments were undertaken across 46 dogs that clinicians diagnosed as having musculoskeletal conditions that caused chronic pain...

INTRODUCTION: The widespread use of surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges in interpreting facial emotions. As the mouth is known to play a crucial role in decoding emotional expressions, its covering is likely to affect this process. Recent evidence suggests that facial expressions impact behavioral responses only when their emotional content is relevant to subjects' goals. Thus, this study investigates whether and how masked emotional faces alter such a phenomenon...

BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disorder, which imposes a severe emotional burden on patients. Appropriate coping mechanisms may alleviate this burden and facilitate wellbeing, with social support known to be a successful coping strategy. This observational study aimed to determine the interplay of general coping traits of hope for success and fear of failure, coping behavior of social activity, and patients' wellbeing. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients with ALS from a clinical-epidemiological registry in Southwestern Germany were interviewed regarding coping traits (achievement-motivated behavior: hope for success and fear of failure), coping behavior of social activity, and psychosocial adjustment, determined using measures of depressiveness, anxiety [both measured by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)], and quality of life [Anamnestic Comparative Self-Assessment (ACSA)]...

PURPOSE: This study is the first attempt to use a combination of regression analysis and random forest algorithm to predict the risk factors for high-level fear of cancer recurrence and develop a predictive nomogram to guide clinicians and nurses in identifying high-risk populations for high-level fear of cancer recurrence. METHODS: After receiving various recruitment strategies, a total of 781 survivors who had undergone breast cancer resection within 5 years in four Grade-A hospitals in China were included...

BACKGROUND: Quantitative studies have provided valuable statistical insights into Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among patients with Heart Failure (HF), yet they often lack the depth to fully capture the nuanced, subjective experiences of living with HF particularly in the specific context of Jordan. This study explores the personal narratives of HF patients to understand the full impact of HF on their daily lives, revealing HRQoL aspects that quantitative metrics often miss. This is crucial in developing regions, where the increasing prevalence of HF intersects with local healthcare practices, cultural views, and patient expectations, providing key insights for tailored interventions and better patient care...

When we become engrossed in novels, films, games, or even our own wandering thoughts, we can feel present in a reality distinct from the real world. Although this subjective sense of presence is, presumably, a ubiquitous aspect of conscious experience, the mechanisms that produce it are unknown. Correlational studies conducted in virtual reality have shown that we feel more present when we are afraid, motivating claims that physiological changes contribute to presence; however, such causal claims remain to be evaluated...

Social media is currently abuzz with discussions about the topic of women's gamophobia in China. Nevertheless, there is few research investigating gamophobia from a psychological perspective. This study utilizes content analysis and sentiment analysis to examine and analyze 879 individuals' texts about gamophobia on Little Red Book and uses psychoanalytic theory, which is centered on comprehending and interpreting the psychological processes of the human mind, to investigate the elements that contribute to women's gamophobia, aiming to address this knowledge gap...

This study investigated the impact of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) at Neiguan acupoint (PC6) on the physiological and behavioral responses of participants exposed in virtual height. 40 participants were included in the study and were randomly assigned to either a control group or an intervention group. Participants had an immersive experience with a VR interactive platform that provided somatosensory interaction in height stimulation scenes. Psychological scores, behavioral and cognitive performance, and physiological responses were recorded and analyzed...

STUDY DESIGN: Protocol for the development of clinical practice guidelines following the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) standards. OBJECTIVES: Acute SCI or intraoperative SCI (ISCI) can have devastating physical and psychological consequences for patients and their families. The treatment of SCI has dramatically evolved over the last century as a result of preclinical and clinical research that has addressed important knowledge gaps, including injury mechanisms, disease pathophysiology, medical management, and the role of surgery...

Fears and phobias are a common mental health concern for youth, and particularly for autistic youth. The following review briefly summarizes the extant literature on specific phobias and specific phobias in autistic youth. The evidence base is briefly highlighted pointing to the strong base behind behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments and techniques. A broad discussion of key evidence-based treatment findings is presented, leading up to the impactful work of Thomas H. Ollendick in researching Öst's One-Session Treatment (OST) with children and adolescents...

BACKGROUND: After the Chinese government announced the end of the dynamic zero-COVID policy on January 8, 2023, the COVID-19 pandemic peaked. Frontline nursing staff are at high risk of infection transmission due to their frequent contact with COVID-19 patients. In addition, due to the ending of China's dynamic zero-COVID policy, frontline nursing staff have grappled with increased workload, fatigue, and more. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of insomnia symptoms in frontline nursing staff and its influencing factors following the end of the policy...

BACKGROUND: On December 7, 2022, the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of China's State Council released the "Ten New Guidelines" to optimize the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention policies further. This signaled a broader shift from "dynamic clearing" to "coexisting with the virus" nationwide. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the experiences and perspectives of interdisciplinary nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak in China after the implementation of the "Ten New Guidelines"...