KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS, AND PREVALENCE OF GAMOPHOBIA AMONG DENTAL STUDENTS IN CHENNAI CITY - A QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: A phobia is an excessive and irrational fear reaction. If you have a phobia, you may experience a deep sense of dread or panic when you encounter the source of your fear. The fear can be of a certain place, situation, or object. Unlike general anxiety disorders, a phobia is usually connected to something specific. The impact of a phobia can range from annoying to severely disabling. People with phobias often realize their fear is irrational, but they’re unable to do anything about it. Such fears can interfere with work, school, and personal relationships. It affects our day-to-day life when we are exposed to the source of the phobia. Gamophobia  is an irrelevant fear of getting married or commitment. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge of gamophobia among dental students.

Materials and methods: This study was done among the dental students in Chennai. A pre-validated questionnaire was prepared and mailed in the form of google forms for the participants. The results were obtained and statistically analysed using spss software version 23. Descriptive statistics and bar charts were used to present the responses obtained.

Result: 54.46% of the respondents are aware of gamophobia 67.33% of the population or not fear of getting committed or married 63.34% of the respondents are not afraid of attending marriage or wedding functions 76.24% of the population who responded to the consultant physician for this problem. The p value is 0.837 which is greater than 0.05 that is considered to be insignificant.

Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study it can be concluded that it may be inferred that some survey respondents are afraid of marriages for unknown reasons, yet some people are unwilling to seek treatment for these fears. Counseling and parental support might help to overcome undesired anxieties.