Acquisition of blood and injection phobia and anxiety response patterns in clinical patients

The ways in which blood phobics (N = 81) and injection phobics (N = 56) had acquired their phobias were retrospectively investigated. The patients were required to answer a questionnaire concerning: (a) the origin of the phobia, with items relevant for conditioning experiences, vicarious experiences and experiences of negative information/instruction; (b) physiological reactions; (c) anticipatory anxiety; and (d) negative thoughts while in the phobic situation. In addition background data on marital and occupational status, family history of phobia, fainting history, and severity of the phobia were obtained. Furthermore, the patients' behavioral, physiological, and cognitive-subjective reactions during the behavioral test were assessed. The results showed that a majority (52%) of the patients attributed the onset of their phobias to conditioning experiences, while 24% recalled vicarious experiences, 7% instruction/information and 17% could not remember any specific onset circumstances. There was no significant relationship between ways of acquisition and anxiety components, nor did conditioning and indirectly acquired phobias differ in severity.