Differences in Phobia Phobias Associated with Diseases in Men and Women

Abstract

The relationship between the presence of the disease and the formation of its phobic plot in men and women has been investigated. The methodology of the work was based on a secondary analysis of the results of conducted and published studies on the existing objects (diseases) of phobias. Based on a meta–analysis of data from more than 70 scientific papers, a sample of 35620 thousand people was obtained and 136 diseases were identified for which men and women form FTD, of which 44 diseases in the group of men, 76 diseases in women; 15 diseases simultaneously determine the appearance and formation of persistent phobias in both sex groups. It is concluded that this type of phobias occurs in many cases in women who suffer from it more often, which is caused by such factors as somatization, the context of the symptom of the disease, obsession, compulsion, etc. Men using compensatory strategies have a lower percentage of FT. There are four conditional groups of diseases that equally cause fear in men and women. Based on the use of the cognitive approach, the process of modeling the phobic space is described and it is shown that men use the “real” parameter more often, women use the “imaginary” parameter. The phobic space of women includes substitutions in the form of various feelings and emotions that have different degrees of phobia. At the heart of this process in women is a strong “phobic” attitude. It is shown that the prediction of the etiology of FT does not allow us to unequivocally assert their inherent determinacy. As a conclusion, the conclusion is made about the greater prevalence and prevalence in the frequency of development and comorbidity of FT in the group of women. However, it is not possible to state unequivocally what causes this gender difference at the moment, which actualizes further study of phobias of diseases in men and women.