Fears and their level of interference in adolescents.

In this study, we first explored the prevalence of self-reported fears in 648 Australian adolescents and then determined the extent of interference associated with those fears. Consistent with other studies, fears were highly prevalent. An average of 9 fears was reported. Girls reported more fears than boys and younger adolescents reported more fears than older adolescents. A majority of the youth reported that their fears caused them considerable distress and that their fears interfered significantly with their daily activities. The limitations of the study were acknowledged and directions for future research were suggested.