Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university
Insects and other arthropods can elicit fear and disgust in certain individuals and communities which is yet to be explored in Malaysia. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence of fear and disgust toward varied arthropods and compare the level of emotions between female and male respon...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2021
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16436/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16436/1/42618-149815-1-PB.pdf |
| Summary: | Insects and other arthropods can elicit fear and disgust in certain individuals and communities
which is yet to be explored in Malaysia. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence of fear
and disgust toward varied arthropods and compare the level of emotions between female and male
respondents and the different arthropod types. A cross-sectional survey using a new designed
arthropods survey was performed among 224 undergraduate students in Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia. Based on our study, more than half of the respondents feared scorpion, wasp, centipede,
bee, blister beetle and cockroach. Meanwhile, more than half of the respondents reported disgust
toward maggot, cockroach, caterpillar, centipede, sago larvae and head lice. Female students who
formed the majority of respondents reported higher fear and disgust toward the top-fifteen chosen
insects. The most feared arthropod is the scorpion, while maggot (i.e. fly larvae) is the most
disgusted arthropod. Statistically significant differences of fear were found between female and
male respondents toward most arthropods, whereas no significant differences were found between
genders for disgust toward most arthropods. In addition, previous history of spider bite is
significantly associated with fear of spiders. This study revealed fear of arthropods is prevalent
among university students in Malaysia. Persistent fear toward arthropods can lead to
entomophobia, a specific phobia that may require intervention by health professionals. |
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