CHILDRENS NIGHTTIME FEARS

Some children experience persistent night-time fears that interfere wi th their daily functioning. Initially, we present developmental consid erations necessary to an understanding of sever night-time fears. We p ostulate that severe night-time fears are probably due to a complex in teraction of biological, environmental, and cognitive-mediational proc esses. Several assessment procedures are outlines: behavioral intervie ws, diagnostic interviews, fear survey schedules for children, home mo nitoring on the part of parents, and darkness toleration tests. Tradit ional behavioral interventions, and more recent cognitive-behavioral i nterventions, are evaluated in terms of their research foundations. Co gnitive-behavioral strategies appear to have the more empirical suppor t, although we draw attention to several methodological limitations. ( C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.