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 |
| _version_ | 1848814051150266368 |
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| author | Aishah Hani Azil, Mohd Adnan Yakub, Norhaty Hassan, Shalisah Sharip, |
| author_facet | Aishah Hani Azil, Mohd Adnan Yakub, Norhaty Hassan, Shalisah Sharip, |
| author_sort | Aishah Hani Azil, |
| building | UKM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T00:27:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:generic.eprints.org:16436 |
| institution | Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T00:27:56Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | oai:generic.eprints.org:164362021-04-22T07:06:19Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16436/ Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university Aishah Hani Azil, Mohd Adnan Yakub, Norhaty Hassan, Shalisah Sharip, 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. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2021 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16436/1/42618-149815-1-PB.pdf Aishah Hani Azil, and Mohd Adnan Yakub, and Norhaty Hassan, and Shalisah Sharip, (2021) Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university. Geografia : Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 17 (1). pp. 69-80. ISSN 2180-2491 https://ejournal.ukm.my/gmjss/issue/view/1376 |
| spellingShingle | Aishah Hani Azil, Mohd Adnan Yakub, Norhaty Hassan, Shalisah Sharip, Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university |
| title | Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university |
| title_full | Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university |
| title_fullStr | Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university |
| title_short | Fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a Malaysian university |
| title_sort | fear towards insects and other arthropods: a cross sectional study in a malaysian university |
| url | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16436/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16436/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16436/1/42618-149815-1-PB.pdf |