Translate Nyctophobia Severity Assessment (NSA)

Nyctophobia Severity Assessment (NSA)

In a study titled "<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9285081/">Darkness facilitates the acoustic startle reflex in humans</a>" (Grillon, Pellowski, Merikangas, & Davis, 1997), researchers found that darkness can increase fear because people cannot clearly see their surroundings. Without visual information, people often feel more anxious, uncertain, and tense. The study also showed that darkness increases the body's natural startle response, making people more sensitive to unexpected sounds or events.

Nyctophobia, refers to the fear of darkness, it is a specific type of phobia, a person with this type of phobia have excessive fear, anxiety, or distress when he/she is exposed to darkness or situations where visibility may be low or limited. Fear of darkness is common during childhood, but persistent fear in adolescence or adulthood may interfere with day to day functioning, may effect sleep, social activities, travel, and professional life. Nyctophobia Severity Assessment (NSA) has been developed to provide a reliable evaluation of darkness-related fears by assessing emotional responses, catastrophic thinking, physical symptoms, avoidance behaviors, functional impairment, and reliance on safety behaviors. This self-assessment is also provided with a Darkness Trigger Inventory, the inventory helps in identifying specific environments and situations that may be commonly associated with fear of darkness.

Read each statement carefully and indicate how often it applies to you based on your typical experiences during the past several months.

The Nyctophobia Severity Assessment (NSA) consists of two components.

Part 1: Darkness Trigger Inventory (DTI)

In this section specific darkness-related environments and situations are listed that trigger fear or anxiety.

The trigger inventory is categorized in four sections: 1.} Dark Environments (8 triggers) 2.} Outdoor Darkness (8 triggers), 3.}Limited Visibility (8 triggers) 4.}Situations Involving Darkness (8 triggers)

Total Trigger Items: 32

Part 2: Emotional and Physical Responses

Dimensions: Emotional Reactions (4 items), Fear Cognitions (4 items), Physical Reactions (4 items), Total Items: 12

Part 3: Behavioral Impact: Avoidance Behavior (4 items), Functional Impact (4 items), Safety Behaviors (4 items) Total Items: 12

In Parts 2 and 3 we use a five-point response scale ranging from 0 (Never) to 4 (Very Often).

The last item per dimension is reverse scored.

Raw Score Range: 0–240

Percentage Score = (Raw Score ÷ 240) × 100

Dark environments.

Dark rooms

Bedrooms with lights off

Basements

Attics

Hallways at night

Closets

Garages

Power outages

Outdoor darkness.

Walking outside at night

Parks after sunset

Forests at night

Parking lots at night

Empty streets

Camping at night

Nighttime travel

Being outside alone at night

Limited visibility.

Unable to see clearly

Shadows

Unexpected noises in darkness

Dark corners

Silhouettes

Objects appearing suddenly

Flickering lights

Complete darkness

Situations involving darkness.

Sleeping with lights off

Being home alone at night

Watching horror movies in the dark

Using dark public restrooms

Night shifts

Driving at night

Entering dark buildings

Unexpected darkness

Thinking about darkness makes me anxious.

Being in darkness makes me feel uneasy.

Darkness makes me feel unsafe.

I remain calm in dark environments.

I imagine something bad could happen in the dark.

I expect danger when I cannot see clearly.

My fears about darkness are difficult to control.

I know darkness is usually safe.

My heart races in dark places.

I become tense when the lights go out.

I feel shaky or restless in darkness.

I remain physically relaxed in darkness.

I avoid dark places whenever possible.

I keep lights on even when unnecessary.

I ask others to accompany me in dark places.

I can comfortably stay in dark places alone.

My fear of darkness affects my sleep.

My fear limits my daily activities.

My fear reduces my enjoyment of life.

My fear rarely interferes with my daily life.

I carry a flashlight or similar item for reassurance.

I check dark areas before entering them.

I need extra light to feel safe.

I feel safe without relying on extra precautions.