Etiology of Fear of Dogs

- Борисенко, Катерина Михайлівна (orcid.org/0009-0003-7890-0455) and Довга, Марія Ігорівна (orcid.org/0000-0001-7440-8293) (2024) Etiology of Fear of Dogs Education and Development of Gifted Personality, 4 (95). pp. 116-126. ISSN 2309-3935

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Abstract

This article presents the research findings of Kateryna Borysenko, a gifted student of Lyceum No. 15 of the city of Chernihiv. This work won the city-level stage of the Junior Academy of Sciences (JAS) student research paper competition and secured third place at the regional level. The research is dedicated to the relatively underexplored problem of the origins of people's fear of dogs. Severe fear of dogs can negatively impact an individual's quality of life, particularly in environments where dogs are ubiquitous, including public spaces. A literature review revealed that the etiology of fear of dogs remains insufficiently understood, making this study an attempt to gain additional insights into why people may fear dogs. In the course of the study, we investigated how fear of dogs correlates with the amount of negative experiences associated with these animals, personality traits, gender, interaction experience with dogs, and fear acquisition from parents. The findings indicate that fear of dogs is linked to personality traits such as anxiety, emotional stability, tension, and courage. Our study confirmed that women are more prone to cynophobia than men. We did not establish a direct relationship between the level of negative experiences and fear of dogs, as dog owners reported lower fear levels despite having more negative experiences. Furthermore, no differences were found in fear levels between participants whose parents warned them about the dangers of dogs and those who did not receive such warnings. However, individuals who had been warned reported higher levels of negative experiences. The obtained results may be useful for developing psychological interventions for individuals who fear dogs. In particular, attention should be focused on addressing anxiety, emotional instability, and tension.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	etiology of fear; personality traits; fear conditioning; specialized questionnaires; cynophobia; human-dog interaction; anxiety.
Subjects:	Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 3 Social Sciences > 37 Education > 374 Education and training out of school. Further education Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 6 Applied Sciences. Medicine. Technology > 61 Medical sciences
Divisions:	Institute of the gifted child > Gifted Personality Intellectual Development Department
Depositing User:	н.с. Олена Василівна Онопченко
Date Deposited:	28 Mar 2025 17:00
Last Modified:	28 Mar 2025 17:00
URI:	https://lib.iitta.gov.ua/id/eprint/745004

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