Table 2.

Definitions and frequencies for “What makes a situation or object fearful” codes (N=197)

Fear Code	Definition	Examples	Kappa	N	Percent (%)
External Locus of Control	Expressing lack of control, that which is unknown or unexpected, or predictions of impending occurrences.	“When you don’t know or understand an outcome or what the outcome will be or you are unable to control a situation.”	.92	70	35.5
		“When you know yourself that you have no control over it. It can go any way it wants to.”
		“Sometimes not knowing what the outcome would be…he doesn’t know so that scares him.”
Harm/Danger	Direct or indirect references to danger, the capacity to hurt or cause pain and suffering.	“That you could get hurt if something goes wrong.”	.80	56	29.3
		“When I was a taxi cab driver, I had a gun pulled on me and put to my head. That was really scary. I thought ‘Jesus, my life is done now.”
Phobias	A specific object, person, or action as causing intense fear or anxiety.	“She’s scared of heights, doesn’t like roller coasters.”	.70	35	18.3
		“The sound of thunder we had last week. I had all the lights turned off and everything.”
Past Experiences	Direct or indirect personal experience as causing fear or anxiety.	“If you had been on it and had had an accident on it. Just by experience you had with it.”	.83	30	15.7
		“Depends on what people have tried before. Things people hear about can cause them fear.”
Self-perception	One’s own perceptions leads them to find a situation or object fearful; internal locus of control	“I believe fear is in the mind. So nothing makes the object fearful, it’s your mind that does it.”	.74	17	8.9
		“Believing you can’t deal with it.”