Application of the robust factor concept to the fear survey schedule

Responses from 468 college undergraduates to the Fear Survey Schedule were factor analyzed using four different methods which differed in principle. The resultant factor structures were compared with each other to determine which of the extracted factors were robust. The method that provided the most interpretable and robust set of factors was selected for analysis on the male and female samples separately. Results obtained by this method for the male, female, and total samples were compared to the various factor structures of the Fear Survey Schedule previously reported. Implications for the clinical use of the Fear Survey Schedule are discussed.     

A reconsideration of the Willoughby Personality Schedule with psychiatric inpatients

Although the Willoughby Personality Schedule appears to be widely used to assess interpersonal anxiety, there are few studies of its clinical validity or psychometric properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor analytic structure of the Willoughby Schedule in an inpatient psychiatric population. It also explored the relationship of the Willoughby Personality Schedule to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Gambrill-Richey Assertion Inventory and patient perception of treatment outcome. In contrast to three Willoughby Schedule factors previously reported in research with outpatients, six factors were found in this study. These were moderately correlated with scores on the BDI and the Assertion Inventory discomfort scale. Two Willoughby factors were related to the Assertion Inventory probability of assertive response scale and only one Willoughby factor was related to patient perception of treatment outcome. The overall results raise questions as to the usefulness of the Willoughby Schedule with inpatient populations.     

A case report on the use of relaxation and systematic desensitization to control multiple compulsive behaviors

Ten compulsive behaviors were recorded by a client during 23 weeks of counseling. The frequency records indicated sizeable decreases in the behaviors following relaxation, with additional, smaller decreases following desensitization. Changes in the MMPI and Fear Survey Schedule corroborated the client's self report of improved functioning. The client's self rating on a check list, along with the MMPI and Fear Survey Schedule, 10 months after termination indicated that she had maintained her gains.     

Prevalence and diagnostic reliability of methadone maintenance detoxification fear

The authors identified a pathological fear of methadone detoxification in 22%, 25%, and 32% of random samples of patients in three disparate methadone maintenance programs. Patients with a pathological fear of detoxification had higher scores on the Detoxification Fear Survey Schedule, had longer histories of addiction, had been addicted for a larger percent of their life spans, and were older than patients without this fear. A greater proportion of the female patients had this fear, and a greater proportion of the patients with this fear had drug-free urinalyses. The authors recommend the use of the Detoxification Fear Survey Schedule as well as intervention to help rehabilitated opioid addicts initiate and complete detoxification.     

Modification of agitated depression by flooding: A preliminary study

It was hypothesized that flooding therapy (FT) would be superior to both support (ST) and no-treatment control (NTC) in eliminating the agitated depression which had resulted in the hospitalization of the 21 female subjects studied. Pre-treatment and post-treatment measures included the Mental Status Schedule, the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, the Fear Survey Schedule III, and the WAIS Digit Symbol. The FT and ST subjects attended three indicidual therapy sessions per week for a total of nine sessions, while the NTC group received no individual sessions but remained on the unit for a similar period of time. The results indicated that flooding was the most effective regime as hypothesized.     

The relative efficacy of covert modeling procedures and guided participant modeling on the reduction of avoidance behavior

The present study compared the effectiveness of two covert modeling procedures with guided participant modeling (GPM) and a delayed treatment control. Avoidance behavior was assessed using a behavior test, fear reports, and Fear Survey Schedule ratings. Results indicated greater improvements for the GPM condition than for all other conditions. The difference in approach behavior between covert modeling groups and the control group was of borderline significance. Subsequent reassignment of unsuccessful subjects to GPM treatment produced gains comparable to the original GPM group. The theoretical significance and clinical application of these findings are discussed.     

Standardization of the fear survey schedule

The extended Wolpe-Lang Fear Survey Schedule (1969) was administered to 115 female and 141 male university students. Standardized data were obtained. The clinical and research implications of the data are discussed.     

Standardization of the fear survey schedule based upon patients with DSM-III anxiety disorders

The Wolpe-Lange Fear Survey Schedule was administered to 141 psychiatric outpatients who met the criteria for a primary Axis I diagnosis of one of the DSM-III anxiety disorders. Standardization data were obtained for this instrument and their clinical and research implications are discussed.     

Diagnostic and gender differences in the expressed fears of anxious patients

Fear Survey Schedule data are presented for a sample of 141 psychiatric patients who met the DSM-III criteria for an anxiety disorder. Diagnostic and gender differences in expressed fears are presented and the results are discussed in light of previous research.     

Generalization of effects of dental fear treatment in a self-referred population of odontophobics.

Effects of dental fear treatment on general anxiety and mood in 60 dental phobics with high and low general anxiety were compared with "attention" effects in 75 dental phobics on a waiting list using the Dental Anxiety Scale, a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a modified Fear Survey Schedule. Positive effects of the treatment were apparent in reduced dental and general fearfulness as well as elevated mood on numerous measures that paralleled dentist ratings of patient behavior. Ss had less fear of going to the next dentist after the program than before, according to a visual analogue measure. Ninety-three percent of Ss started dental treatment with private dentists within 1 year.     

Reliability and validity of the Fear Survey Schedule for Infants-Preschoolers

The aim of this research was to examine the reliability and validity of a new questionnaire to measure fears in young children. One hundred and thirty-three parents of children 18 months to 5 years of age completed the Fear Survey Schedule for Infants-Preschoolers (FSSIP). Parents and other caregivers were interviewed and completed questionnaires concerning child fearfulness, and child fearful behavior was observed. The FSSIP demonstrated high internal consistency, low-to-moderate test-retest correlations over an average of 6 months, and good convergent and discriminant validity. With further research, the FSSIP could aid in the investigation of the duration and consequences of fears in young children.     

Phobic disorders and anxiety states: how do they differ?

A review of the clinical literature to date has shown that the nature of the relationship between phobic disorders and anxiety states is still unclear. As a wide range of symptoms are shared by patients with all DSM-III anxiety disorder diagnoses, at this stage there is still a need to investigate the latent dimensions which distinguish the anxiety disorder subtypes. In the present study 176 patients with the DSM-III diagnoses of agoraphobia with panic attacks, social phobia, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder completed the Fear Survey Schedule, Fear Questionnaire, Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire, Maudsley Personality Inventory, and the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scales. Group membership was significantly predicted by a discriminant analysis which yielded a Fear Questionnaire agoraphobia function and a social phobia function. The results from discriminant analysis suggests that agoraphobia and anxiety states may be closely related. Classification errors were also determined, providing further evidence with which to refute the claim that agoraphobia has "all or none" characteristics.     

The relationship of proximity to tension areas and size of settlement to fear levels of Israeli children

A children's version of the Israeli Fear Survey Schedule was administered to 171 children in the central region of Israel and to 320 children along the tense Northern border. Proximity to the border and size of settlement were found to be factors in the fear levels observed. Beyond the finding that children closer to tension areas had higher fear levels, those from small settlements had higher fear levels than those from medium or large settlements. It was proposed that the variable of population size be viewed as mediated by a sense of social isolation by the subjects in small towns.     

Long term follow-up of agoraphobics treated by brief intensive group cognitive behavioural therapy

This study reports the long term efficacy of a brief intensive (2 days) group cognitive behavioural programme for the treatment of agoraphobia with panic attacks. A total of 97 patients was included in the study. Seventy-four patients were in the treated group and 23 were on the waiting list control group. The Fear Questionnaire (FQ), Fear Survey Schedule (FSS), Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI), the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ) and a clinical assessment based on structured interview to assess current levels of functioning were used as dependent measures. The results show that patients in the treated group show significant improvement on FSS and FQ when compared with the patients in the control group. Clinical rating shows that 85% of the patients were either symptom free or their symptoms had been reduced and these effects of treatment were shown to be maintained at follow-up which was on average 1 year after the treatment.     

Analysis of Israeli children's fears: a comparison of religious and secular communities

This study examined the community intervention practice of grouping children on the basis of religious attitudes for analysing community fear responses. The study examined the differences of responses between religious and secular school populations to the Israeli Fear Survey Schedule for Children (IFSSC), an adaptation of the Wolpe and Lang (1964) Fear Survey Schedule. 283 children from secular-trend schools in Israel. 18 of the 99 items of the IFSSC (Klingman & Wiesner, 1982) showed significant differences. The study supported the continuation of the community intervention practice of grouping children on the basis of religious attitude for analyzing IFSSC responses. Religious group affiliation was found to be an influential factor in certain fear responses. The findings point to the need for investigating normative differences among subpopulations with FSS-like instruments. Pre-knowledge and the understanding of the fear level in a community is of great value for emergency-oriented consultation during a crisis. When facing an anxiety-producing situation, the focus of primary as well as early secondary prevention is reaching individuals, as well as groups, of high psychological risk (Caplan, 1964; Klingman & Ben-Eli, 1981; Ollendick & Offman, 1982; Poser & Hartmen, 1979; Shippee, Bradford & Gregory, 1982). The utilization of appropriate classification variables enhances the ability to assess the quality and the degree of reaction to stress within a community.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A cognitive-behavioral study of self-reported stress factors in migraine headache

Self-reported stress factors in migraine headache were examined from a cognitive-behavioral point of view. 18 migraine patients completed the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule and the Fear Survey Schedule. In addition, the migraine sufferers reported on all factors, either psychological or physical, which they felt were associated with headaches, answered a 'secondary gain' question, and completed a set of questions composed by the author. In conflict with more traditional viewpoints, migraine sufferers do not report themselves to be atypically reactive to ambiguity, uncertainty, or major life changes. Factors which do appear to be involved are quite diverse, and include tension over performed assertiveness behaviors, concern with perfectionism and evaluation, and reactions to small life changes. The impossibility of a cause and effect analysis is noted, and the quantity of reported stress factors is discussed as an argument for the author's concept of homeostatic reconditioning.     

Treatment of phobias by a self-administered desensitization technique

Self-administered desensitization was applied to eight patients in their home environment. In 3–10 weeks, all subjects reported successful completion of each hierarchy. The Willoughby Personality Schedule and the S-R Inventory of Anxiousness showed significant reductions in anxiety reactions.     

The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) and traditional childhood anxiety measures

The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) is a self-report questionnaire that measures symptoms of DSM-IV linked anxiety disorders in children. This article presents two studies that investigated the relationship between the SCARED, on the one hand, and two other widely used anxiety measures for children, namely the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R), on the other hand. Results indicate that SCARED scores are positively and in a theoretically meaningful way related to RCMAS and FSSC-R scores, and thus provide evidence for the concurrent validity of the SCARED.     

The Fear Survey Schedule III and its correlation with personality in Egyptian samples

An Arabic version of the 108 item Wolpe-Lang Fear Survey Schedule (FSS III) was administered to four Egyptian groups of undergraduates, in order to estimate test reliability. One-week interval stability coefficients for the total test score were 0.79 for males and 0.86 for females. Internal consistency (odd vs even) coefficients were 0.96 for males and 0.95 for females. It was concluded that the reliability of the Arabic version of the FSS had been adequately demonstrated. The Arabic FSS was correlated with several personality tests with results mostly in keeping with Western studies.     

Sex differences in panic disorder with agoraphobia

Two hundred seventy-two patients (68 males and 204 females) with DSM-III diagnosis of Agoraphobia with Panic Attacks (300.21) were used in the present study to investigate sex differences in these patients. Discriminant analysis showed that female agoraphobics can be significantly differentiated from male agoraphobics on their responses to the Fear Survey Schedule (FSS), the clinicians ratings on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-H), and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D), indicating the expression of more severe symptomatology amongst the female agoraphobics. Female and male agoraphobics could not, however, be differentiated using the Fear Questionnaire (FQ), Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ), Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), panic symptoms, and cognitions associated with panic attacks. The paper concluded that there were no real differences between the male and female agoraphobics with panic attacks.