ArticlePloS one2023
The role of self-efficacy in specific fears.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Measuring implicit bias in height-fearful participants with the Approach-Avoidance Task.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- "Is a general belief in one's capabilities related to mental and physical health?": The relationships between self-efficacy, health outcomes, and health-related behaviour.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Natural language processing reveals differences in mental time travel at higher levels of self-efficacy.Scientific reports · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Low self-efficacy for threatening stimuli and situations has been proposed as an important etiological factor in the development and maintenance of specific phobias. The present study examined the relationships between general self-efficacy (GSE), specific self-efficacy (SSE) and specific fears in a representative sample (n = 717). While GSE was associated with higher self-reported fear and avoidance, SSE (e.g. SSE in the presence of animal-related fear) was more related to specific fears. SSE turned out to be a significant predictor of specific fear even after controlling for trait anxiety, age and gender. Interestingly, the association between SSE and specific fear differed across the different fear categories. Fear and avoidance of blood/injection/injuries showed the highest associations with SSE. In contrast, the association between natural environment-related fear and avoidance and GSE or SSE together was only modest. Exploratory analyses revealed a gender-specific effect on the strength of the association between SSE and specific fears. Women scored higher in animal-related fears and SSE. Our findings support the self-efficacy hypothesis of anxiety disorder development and provide a more detailed insight into the role of GSE and SSE in specific fears and phobias.
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Registered trials
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