Background
In a study titled "Darkness facilitates the acoustic startle reflex in humans" (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.
Procedure
Read each statement carefully and indicate how often it applies to you based on your typical experiences during the past several months.
Scoring & Interpretation
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
Nyctophobia Severity Assessment (NSA) Questionnaire
Below is the Nyctophobia Severity Assessment (NSA), a digitally adapted 28- items self-assessment questionnaire.