The assessment of normal fear in children and adolescents

Published research into normal fear now spans more than one century. During this time, a large number of papers have been published in the area. The resulting literature has led to a detailed understanding of normal fear experiences and, in particular, the ways in which they change with maturation. Of central importance, when evaluating the documented outcomes of this work, is the soundness of the methods and tools used in assessment. It is not surprising given the large number of researchers that have been involved in this area, that the assessment methods used have varied substantially. These have ranged from the methodologically problematic technique of obtaining retrospective adult reports to the administration of psychometrically validated fear survey schedules. An extensive review of this literature reveals that, for the last two decades, the fear survey schedule has been the most widely used technique for the fear assessment. The preference that has and is being demonstrated for the fear survey schedule as an assessment tool is most likely due to its many advantages including ease of use, objectivity in scoring, and provision of a substantial amount of information in a short period. However, despite its advantages, researchers and clinicians need to be cognizant of its potential limitations and, depending on the questions being asked, may need to consider using it in combination with alternative assessment strategies.