Brave men and timid women? A review of the gender differences in fear and anxiety
Section snippets
Gender differences in fear
Gender differences in fear reporting are evident in children as young as 9–12 years of age (Ollendick, 1983). Among adults, a number of self-report studies indicate that women endorse a greater number and severity of fears than men (e.g., Arrindell, 2000, Bourdon et al., 1988, Davey, 1994). For example, Tucker and Bond (1997) found significant gender differences in fear of repulsive animals (e.g., snakes) and fear of harmless animals (e.g., dogs), but no differences in fears of bodily injury,
Overview of etiological factors
Women's greater vulnerability for anxiety can be partly understood by examining etiological factors related to anxiety across levels of analysis. Beginning with an examination of biological factors, the scope of analysis in this review increases at each level. Although divisions between levels are somewhat arbitrary, they are heuristically useful for purposes of investigation and review.
Conclusion
Substantial evidence points to a preponderance of women demonstrating greater fear and anxiety than men across the life span. Many of the risk factors for developing anxiety form the basis for the expected gender differences. For example, women tend to score higher on higher-order vulnerability factors including negative affectivity and trait anxiety. Further, genetic research suggests that these factors are more heritable among women for reasons that are still unclear. One possibility is that
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