How to Help Children with Fear of the Dark and Other Nighttime Fears





There are a number of nighttime fears (e.g., the dark, noises, burglars, monsters, shadows, nightmares). "The Common Cold of the Child's Mental Health World" discusses the symptoms, problems, and treatments possible for nighttime fears in general and fear of the dark in particular.


Families of dark-fearful children often have bedtime battles lasting past midnight (Graziano & Mooney, 1980) because it takes about 55 minutes longer to get dark-fearful children to bed and asleep than it does non-fearful children (Mooney, 1985). 


The sleep problem most frequently reported in one study was fear of falling asleep in the dark (Hvolby, Jorgensen and Bilenberg, 2008). The dark was ranked 3rd in terms of overall fears when children, ages 8-12, were asked what they feared the most (Muris, Merkelbach, Ollendick, King, Meesters, van Vessel, 2002). In one study when adults were asked what they recall as their most intense childhood fear, the most frequent response was fear of the dark (Jersild & Holmes, 1935). Much help is available for treating fears and phobias associated with nighttime.


Therapists and researchers have found cognitive-behavioral (CBT) techniques to be very useful in helping both adults and children in overcoming fears. Parents can get individual assistance for their child from professionals (e.g., psychologists, mental health therapists) who have been trained in treating fears or phobias. Another approach is to use a children's book that include the use of such techniques.​​


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UNCLE LIGHTFOOT, FLIP THAT SWITCH can HELP WITH NIGHTTIME FEARS



Many children’s books have been written on the topic of nighttime fears. Some may be helpful while others may not be. The problem is that most of them have never been tested to obtain feedback from parents and children to see if they are actually helpful.


Uncle Lightfoot, which uses a cognitive-behavioral approach, is different than most children’s books for fear of the dark because research did inform its development. The Third Edition of Uncle Lightfoot was released in July 2020. Four universities have tested previous versions of Uncle Lightfoot.


A Journal of Anxiety Disorders article entitled “Treating Nighttime Fears in Young Children with Bibliotherapy: Evaluating Clinical Anxiety Symptoms and Monitoring Behavior Change” (Lewis, Amatya, Coffman, & Ollendick, 2015) indicates that 89% of the children in a small study conducted at Virginia Tech made significant progress using Uncle Lightfoot, Flip That Switch (Academic Version) in terms of nighttime fears, even though they were allowed to keep the book in the home for only four weeks, not the usual 8 to 16 weeks associated with CBT approaches.

The Third Edition of Uncle Lightfoot recommends that families use the materials eight or more weeks as part of their bedtime routine. Significant improvement was also made in terms of separation anxiety in the VT study.


In an independent study entitled "Play Therapy Applied by Parents for Children with Darkness Phobia: Comparison of Two Programmes," when compared to a no treatment control group, the Uncle Lightfoot group demonstrated " . . an improvement in darkness phobia, which increased in the follow-up a year later” (Sanchez, Mendez, Sanchez-Meca, 2006, p.30). The current revised edition contains further refinements of the tested versions.


According to the Midwest Book Review for an earlier edition: "Uncle Lightfoot Flip That Switch is an invaluable, user-friendly guide, worthy of the highest recommendation for both family and public library collections." Note: The Third Edition contains refinements of earlier editions, including the addition of color to almost all illustrations.


Dr. Roselind Lieb and her colleagues (2016), reported findings from a longitudinal study that having a Specific Phobia diagnosis increased the risk of having a number of other mental problems, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. These researchers went on to suggest that success in solving a problem in one area may help with solving problems in another area. Such research would seem to suggest additional motivation for parents to help their children overcome phobias.


Although bibliotherapy can potentially be a very useful tool for many families, some children may need additional help, such as that provided by an individual therapist who has been trained in techniques for treating phobias.





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