A recent study conducted by Nerea Pons, Mireia Orgilés, and Alexandra Morales has shed light on nighttime fears in childhood and their relationship with perfectionism. This study, which involved 319 children aged 8 to 11 from three primary schools in Spain, revealed fascinating connections between perfectionism and fears that affect children’s developmental progress and quality of life.
The study results showed a significant correlation between different aspects of perfectionism and nighttime fears in children. Specifically, a relationship was identified between “Fear of loss or separation from the family” and the total perfectionism score. Likewise, a connection was found between the perception of judgments and performance expectations (known as “Socially Prescribed Perfectionism”) and fears related to family separation and fears of real stimuli. Contrary to expectations, more perfectionist children reported having fewer nighttime fears.
An intriguing conclusion was the difference between genders and ages. Girls and younger participants tended to have higher scores in nighttime fears compared to boys and older children.
These findings are vital for better understanding nighttime fears in childhood and the factors that may influence their development. They provide crucial knowledge that can be useful in the early detection of these fears and in clinical practice. Identifying the relationship between perfectionism and nighttime fears could be key to designing intervention strategies that help children overcome these fears and improve their quality of life.
The researchers hope that these results will serve as a starting point for future research and, more importantly, as a guide to help parents, educators, and health professionals more effectively address nighttime fears in childhood.