Fear of children

Fear of children, occasionally called paedophobia, is fear triggered by the presence of, or the thought of, children, toddlers or infants. It is described as an emotional state of fear, disdain, aversion or prejudice toward children, and in some usages it is treated as the same thing as ephebiphobia, although that term points more toward adolescents and young adults. The fear has been diagnosed and treated by psychiatrists, and published studies have compared the effects of several forms of treatment. Researchers have also identified the fear of children as one factor that can affect biological conception in humans. The entry records what has been held about this fear as a phobia and an attitude, and it is not medical advice.