The emotional impact of frightening stories on children.

This study of the impact of fairy tales examined catharsis vs repetition compulsion hypotheses. Children with high- or low-trait anxiety, aged 6-9 (n = 132), listened either to a frightening story, a frightening-happy end story, a pause story (for measuring anxiety), or a neutral story. They were tested for state anxiety before and afterwards and their preference for a second hearing was evaluated.