Childrenʹs fears: Cultural and developmental perspectives

A modified version of the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children was administered to 865 Israeli Jewish and Israeli Bedouin children, 8–12 yr-old. Consistent with former studies, there was an age-related decline in fears and females reported more fears than males. Comparison of Jewish and Bedouin childrenʹs reports of fears showed significant quantitative and qualitative differences between the two groups. Results underscore the salience of both developmental and cultural factors in the development and nature of childrenʹs fears.