Entomophobia and Arachnophobia Among School-Age Children: A Psychological Approach

Abstract

Background: Entomophobia/arachnophobia is an irrational fear of insects and ticks and is considered among the most serious psychological problems, demanding professional treatments. Objectives: The present study aimed at identifying the prevalence of entomophobia and arachnophobia as well as recognizing the factors affecting it among elementary and high school students of Shiraz, southwest Iran. Methods: A total of 531 questionnaires were distributed randomly among female and male students in elementary and secondary schools, studying in four school districts of Shiraz. Results: Overall, 260 interviewed students (49%) were female and 271 (51%) were male. Furthermore, 35.8% of all subjects were afraid of insects and spiders and 52.45% of the individuals had a feeling of disgust about them. The results showed that 24 students (4.5%) had severe phobia, 177 (33.3%) medium phobia, and 330 (62.1%) mild phobia to insects and arachnids. This kind of phobias showed a direct relationship with factors such as gender, number of children in the family, and mother’s job. Phobias of cockroaches and bee/wasp were higher than that of other arthropods. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, having enough knowledge about insects can significantly reduce irrational fear and phobia in students. Moreover, exposure to some insects can also be very helpful in dealing with this issue.