The rituals, fears and phobias of young children: Insights from development, psychopathology and neurobiology

This study examined the relationship between ritualistic, compulsive-like b ehaviors and normative fears and phobias in 61 children ranging from 1 to 7 years of age. Parents reported on their children's ritualistic habits, and perfectionistic behaviors that reflect what we have previously called "com pulsive-like" behaviors. Parents also reported on their children's fears an d phobias. Results indicated that various aspects of children's ritualistic and compulsive-like behaviors are correlated with children's fears and pho bias. Developmental differences existed such that younger children's (< 4 y ears) repetitive, compulsive-like behaviors were related to "prepotent" fea rs such as stranger and separation anxieties, whereas the compulsive-like b ehaviors of older children (> 4 years) were correlated with more specific, "contextual" fears such as fears of contamination, death, and fears often a ssociated with concerns of the inner city such as burglars, assault, etc. T hese findings are discussed in terms of the phenomenologic and possible neu robiological continuities between normative and pathologic rituals, fears a nd phobias.