There are certain situations in life that are often feared, such as being sexually assaulted (especially by women, in the face of the markedly macho culture). This is logical, since fear is a warning mechanism that protects us from future dangers.

But what happens when you have that fear even in your own home? Or when you become obsessed with the fact that at any moment you are in danger of being assaulted, raped, or sexually abused? Then we talk about contrethophobia . Let’s get to know this phobia in detail.

What is contreltophobia?

Contreltophobia (also called agrophobia; not to be confused with agoraphobia) is the fear or phobia of being sexually abused, assaulted or raped . This fear goes beyond the “normal” fear of this happening, since it is logical to be afraid of being raped or abused.

In addition to intense fear, there appears avoidance of situations associated with the feared (or phobic) stimulus or situation (or if not avoided, they are endured with great anxiety), interference in daily life and irrationality or disproportionality of the fear , as we will see later.

Symptoms

We know that contreltophobia is a specific phobia. In the DSM-IV and DSM-5, there are 5 types of specific phobias: phobia of animals, natural environments/environmental phobia, blood-injection-injury phobia, situation phobia, and finally other types of phobias.

Specifically, contrethophobia could be included in the latter category, that of “other specific phobia”. This category also includes other similar fears, such as choking, vomiting, getting a disease, or, on the other hand, fear of costumes or loud noises in children.

The symptoms of contrethophobia are the most important of a specific phobia , and they correspond to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV and the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) are

1. Intense fear reactions

This fear is disproportionate to the object or situation that originates it, as well as irrational.

2. Avoidance

In addition, avoidance responses appear when the phobic stimulus must be confronted; or, if the stimulus is not avoided, it is confronted with a great deal of anxiety and/or with the presence of a companion.

3. Interference

Phobia causes significant discomfort or impairment in the person’s functioning .

4. Duration of 6 months

To diagnose a specific phobia, it is necessary that this fear be prolonged for at least 6 months in children under 18 years of age (in the DSM-IV). In the DSM-5, however, the specification of “under 18” is eliminated, and the duration is set for all persons, regardless of age.

5. Exclusion of other disorders

The symptoms of phobia are not explained by another mental disorder, a medical illness, or by the effects of a substance.

How does contreltophobia appear?

This fear (not the phobia) is usually manifested in women , especially when they find themselves in certain situations (for example, going alone down a lonely street at night; although this should not happen, it still does).

However, when the phobia itself appears, contreltophbia, this occurs in both women and men ; in this case, sufferers interpret almost any everyday situation as potentially dangerous. In this way, any situation is feared because one thinks it will lead to abuse, rape and/or aggression.

Causes

The causes of contrethophobia can be diverse. Some of them are:

1. Episodes of sexual abuse

These episodes can also be of rape or sexual assault, and have often occurred in childhood. This is what we call in psychology direct conditioning.

We must, however, make a good differential diagnosis in the case of post-traumatic shock or post-traumatic stress disorder (PSD) , in the cases of victims of recent abuse; in these cases, behavior and fear are the same, but they are not considered a phobia per se.

2. Witnessing a sexual assault

Vicarious conditioning, or having witnessed or observed a sexual assault on a third person , can also trigger contrethophobia.

3. Transmission of information

It is not always necessary to have experienced a sexual assault (or witnessed one) in order to acquire contreltophobia. Sometimes, hearing stories of people who have been abused, assaulted, and/or raped (as well as their reactions of fear and panic) may be enough to develop contreltophobia.

In the face of these stories, the anxiety can be triggered , and the person immediately puts himself in the victim’s place, thinking that it can also happen to him in the future.

Treatment

When the initial fear considered “normal”, to suffer such damages, triggers a contrelto phobia (with the symptoms that it implies), it is convenient to go to a specialist to treat it. It is important that people in the environment practice empathy and do not minimize the importance of the person’s concerns (although “a priori” may seem disproportionate).

It will be necessary to treat the cognitive distortions associated with conrteltophobia (which can distort reality); this can be done with cognitive behavioural therapy and, more specifically, with cognitive restructuring. On the other hand, this will also include the deproposition of situations that are considered dangerous or the uncontrollable nature of fear.

At the behavioral treatment level, exposure therapy (exposure to the stimulus or phobic situation may be various), combined with the use of self-instructions and/or relaxation techniques, can be employed.

Bibliographic references:

  • Belloch, A.; Sandín, B. and Ramos, F. (2010). Manual of Psychopathology. Volume II. Madrid: McGraw-Hill
  • APA (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Madrid. Panamericana.
  • Sánchez, L. (2018). Contreltofobia: Treatment of fear of sexual abuse. Women’s Diary