Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION...........................................................1
1.1. BACKGROUND:.....................................................................1
1.2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:..........................................................2
1.2.1. General Objectives:............................................................................2
1.2.2. Specific Objectives:.............................................................................2
1.3. QUESTIONS:.......................................................................... 2
1.4. SEARCH SUBJECTS, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY:.........................3
1.4.1. Research Subjects..................................................................................3
1.4.2. Research Cope:.....................................................................................3
1.4.3. Research Methodology:.......................................................................3
a. Survey Design:......................................................................................3
b. Survey Design:......................................................................................4
c. Participant Selection:............................................................................4
d. Data Collection:....................................................................................4
1.4.4. RESEARCH MODEL:.................................................................4
CHAP 2: THEORETICAL BASIS, PREVIOUS RESULTS AND RESEARCH MODEL..4
2.1 THEORETICAL BASIS...............................................................4
2.1.1. Phobia.................................................................................................4
2.1.2. Specific phobias....................................................................................4
2.1.3. Telephobia...........................................................................................5
2.2.4. Causes.................................................................................................5
2.2. PREVIOUS RESULTS.................................................................5
2.2.1. Global studies.......................................................................................5
2.2.2. Foreign articles.....................................................................................7
2.2.3. National Articles....................................................................................9

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. BACKGROUND:

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 Telephobia, or the fear and anxiety associated with communicating via phone
calls, is a specific type of social anxiety that is relatively common but often goes
unrecognized and insufficiently studied. This condition not only creates barriers in
communication but also negatively impacts various aspects of life, such as work,
education, and personal relationships. In the digital age, where telephones are a crucial
means of communication, Telephobia can pose significant challenges for both individuals
and organizations.

On a global scale, research has suggested that Telephobia can arise from various
factors, including psychological issues such as social anxiety disorder, low self-esteem,
or fear of negative evaluation, as well as adverse past experiences and pressures from
work or social environments. However, the amount of research on Telephobia remains
limited and primarily focuses on developed countries, where phone communication is
highly normalized and an integral part of daily life.

In Vietnam, although no formal studies on Telephobia have been conducted, its

prevalence can be observed in the context of modern communication practices. With
rapid economic development and the expansion of information technology, Vietnamese
people increasingly rely on phones for both professional and personal purposes.
Particularly in fields like customer service, business, or administration, phone
communication is a vital skill, and the stress associated with these interactions can trigger
or exacerbate Telephobia.

Moreover, Vietnam's communication culture, which emphasizes responsiveness,

flexibility, and interpersonal warmth, may amplify the pressure on those struggling with
Telephobia. Avoiding or refusing phone communication is often perceived as
inconvenient, unprofessional, or disrespectful. Such societal expectations further heighten
anxiety, particularly for young people and office workers, who are among the most
affected by this condition.

1.2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

1.2.1. General Objectives:

To identify common causes of Telephobia, the frequency and groups of people mostly
affected by this phenomenon.

1.2.2. Specific Objectives:

Based on the general objective, develop practical solutions to address Telephobia’s
problems and the pressure it places on the Vietnamese economy.

1.3. QUESTIONS:

 What factors influence people to develop telephobia ?

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  What are the most productive solutions to help people overcome telephobia?

1.4. SEARCH SUBJECTS, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY:

1.4.1. Research Subjects

This research focuses on studying telephone phobia in these three distinct age
demographics:
 Under 18: This group comprises teenagers, focusing on their difficulties with
communication in academic and social settings.
 18- 24 years old: Primarily young adults, this group of people often copes with
challenges related to higher education pursuits, job interviews and maintaining
social networking.
 25 years and older: This group includes adults in many stages of life,
highlighting the impact of telephone phobia on long term career path, personal
relationships, and daily routines.

1.4.2. Research Cope:

 Time: The study was conducted over a three-month period, from October to
December 2024, to extract current data on communication behaviors and anxiety
patterns.
 Location: Vietnam, where telecommunication plays an integral part of daily life.

 Product/Service: The research focuses specifically on phone-based

communication services, including:

a. Mobile phone calls (e.g., personal, professional, or academic calls).

a. Landline calls (e.g., business or formal communication).
a. Customer service calls (e.g., service inquiries, complaints, or assistance).

The study excludes text messaging, social media platforms, and video calls, as
these forms of communication differ significantly from traditional phone calls and are
less likely to trigger telephone phobia.

1.4.3. Research Methodology:

a. Survey Design:

Quantitative data were analyzed using statistical tools to identify patterns,

trends, and correlations among age groups.

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 Qualitative data from follow-up interviews were thematically analyzed to
gain deeper insights into participants' experiences and emotional responses.

b. Survey Design:

A structured questionnaire with 20 questions was created to assess anxiety

triggers, phone usage frequency, emotional responses, and coping mechanisms.

c. Participant Selection:

The study involved 300 participants divided across three age groups: under
18, 18–24, and 25+.

d. Data Collection:
Surveys were conducted both online (via Google Forms) and in-person
interviews (targeting schools, universities, and workplaces)

1.4.4. RESEARCH MODEL:

CHAP 2: THEORETICAL BASIS, PREVIOUS RESULTS AND

RESEARCH MODEL

2.1 THEORETICAL BASIS

2.1.1. Phobia
According to the National Health Service, a phobia is an overwhelming and
debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal. Phobias are more
pronounced than fears. They develop when a person has an exaggerated or
unrealistic sense of danger about a situation or object. In some cases, just thinking
about the source of a phobia can make a person feel anxious or panicky. The
common symptoms of a person suffering from a phobia is unsteadiness, dizziness,
lightheadedness, shortness of breath and so on. There are a wide variety of objects
or situations that someone could develop a phobia about. But phobias can be
divided into 2 main categories: specific or simple phobias, complex phobias. But
in this research, we just focus on the specific phobias

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 2.1.2. Specific phobias
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Specific
phobia is an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual
danger. So by this definition, the person diagnosed with this type of phobia
suffered from the fear of things that are specific like an animal or an object. Also
in the research of NIMH, there are an estimated 12.5% of U.S. adults experience
specific phobia at some time in their lives, which means this kind of phobias is
quite common around our normal life.

2.1.3. Telephobia
Telephone phobia (telephobia) is a specific type of phobia which means
that people are scared of the specific situation of making or answering the phone
call. In ‘The Newspapers Handbook’ written by Keeble, Richard in 2001, in 1993,
it was reported that about 2.5 million people in Great Britain had telephone phobia

2.2.4. Causes
According to The Encyclopedia of Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties of Doctor,
Ronald M. the causes of the telephobia are:
 The fear of hearing bad news
 Fear of judgement
 Feel powerless when speaking to another person by telephone
 Negative experience in the past
→ We can narrow it down into 2 main causes: experiences and social anxiety

2.2. PREVIOUS RESULTS

2.2.1. Global studies
The study by Yog P. Bairwa 1, Arun Udayaraj 2, and Souvik Manna 3
focused on the fear of smartphone notifications and calls among medical
students: The phone ring phobia syndrome or telephobia: While telephobia is
an anxiety disorder wherein a person is either unable or scared to call or receive
calls, it has attracted relatively scant attention compared to other disorders related
to digital behavior. The study of the authors conducted among 300 undergraduate
medical students at a tertiary medical college in Western India reported a
prevalence rate of 42% for telephobia, with 9% having its moderate-to-severe
forms. Males developed more serious stages of telephobia than females. Strong
associations were also observed between high levels of internet use, pornography
consumption, and increased severity of telephobia. The results confirm that
telephobia has been subject to digital practices and socio-cultural influences.

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 The study used a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the Severity
Measure for Agoraphobia - Adult and stated that students with telephobia preferred
communication platforms that exclude telephonic interaction. Other aspects of
concern were behavioral avoidance, such as preferring text-based interaction, and
psychological manifestations, such as social anxiety, which are manifestations
common to other anxiety neuroses, too, and point toward growing dependence on
digital communication technologies.
This study has also made certain key identifications of the issues that
overlap with telephobia, PIU, and various other phobias to include nomophobia. It
also indicated the dire psychosocial consequences of telephobia in that it hampers
interpersonal relationships, professional performance, and mental health. This
cross-sectional design limits any causal inferences, and further studies with a
longitudinal design will be necessary to establish the mechanisms of telephobia, its
causes, and treatments.
Therefore, this paper underlines the urgent need to develop appropriate
interventions for dealing with telephobia in at-risk groups-like medical students-
for the balanced and healthy use of digital technologies.
The study was conducted by Leanna T. Kim & Sang-Hwa Oh
concentrated on predicting telephone anxiety: use of digital communication
technologies, language and cultural barriers, and preference for phone calls:
Also, telephone anxiety, which has been defined as "apprehension associated with
the actual or anticipated use of the telephone to converse" (Harris, 1957), became
a subject of interest in the communication studies during the 1950s, yet empirical
examination of the concept started to be studied fairly recently. According to
studies, younger people-millennials-show more telephone anxiety than the older
generation. A 2019 survey conducted in the UK reported that 76% of millennials
have telephone anxiety while 40% of baby boomers have the problem.

This can partly be due to the development of digital communication

technologies. Unlike synchronous, real-time verbal communication, digitally
mediated communication tools, such as text messaging and instant messaging,
enable people to stall responses, alleviate the burden of maintaining a good image,
and avoid potential criticism or rejection (Ellison et al., 2006). This is leading to
fewer opportunities to practice phone-based communication, especially among

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younger people, and thus increasing the anxiety related to voice calls (K. R. Lee et
al., 2018).

Recent studies indeed have reported a positive relationship between the use
of digital communication technologies and telephone anxiety. In fact, it is more
pronounced in the case of non-native English speakers, suggesting language
barriers exacerbate the problem. In addition, telephone anxiety has a negative
influence on preference for phone conversations over other modes of
communication, such as texting and app-based conversations.

The findings from the present study show the psychological consequence of
reduced phone call interactions in today's digital age and point out that
generational dependency on asynchronous communication forms can reinforce a
self-sustaining cycle of avoidance and anxiety in voice-based communication.

2.2.2. Foreign articles

In an article recently published by RSI online, Gabriele Balbi, Professor at
the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society and Pro-Rector for Education
and Students' Experience, explained how the mistrust that young people feel
towards answering the phone is not surprising and is not necessarily a negative
phenomenon.
With the evolution of more modern ways of communication, telephobia or
phone anxiety has grown high in recent times, especially among the younger
generation. In a recent survey conducted by Uswitch in the UK, 25% of people
within the age bracket of 18-34 years totally avoid answering their phone calls,
and almost 70% prefer to text instead of calling. Similarly, according to a 2019
study, 70% of millennials and 40% of baby boomers experience anxiety when their
phones ring.
They explain that by a complex of reasons. According to Gabriele Balbi, a
professor of communication sciences, "the new generation has less exposure to
telephone talks because there is a different, asynchronous way to communicate -
emails, chat apps - all these reduce the necessity of an immediate response, which
is often associated with more chances of misunderstandings and tension.

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 The Social Anxiety Alliance writes about specific triggers for telephobia,
which are as follows: unexpected calls, the fear of judgment, and difficulties
interpreting tone without visual cues. The above trouble situations are exacerbated
by social anxiety and by not having non-verbal feedback while on the phone.

While telephobia reflects changing communications habits, experts

emphasize that this doesn't have to be a negative phenomenon. Voice
communication remains central, but habits are shifting toward asynchronous
modes. Effective interventions, including therapeutic strategies, can help manage
phone-related anxiety in individuals and have an impact on daily life.
In 2024, The Conversation mentions that recent research seems to
suggest that more and more members of the younger cohort shy from making or
receiving phone calls and it is a trend that has been dubbed telephobia. In an
Australian survey taken this year, approximately 60% of members of Generation Z
aged 18 – 26 reported that they are scared of phone calls while an American
survey found that 81% of millennials suffer from pre-call anxiety. Such fear is due
to the growing view that phone calls are coercive while also favoring the need to
communicate with people the ability to start a conversation, versioning text or
emails.
Informal surveys within a Murdoch University student population have also
established that most do not appreciate receiving phone calls out of the blue,
deeming them offensive or disturbing, since they link them to only dire
circumstances. Such a tendency in people makes the aversion toward voice
communication peculiar since pronunciation allows one to impart meaning to the
message in the unique way. Evidence from Canada suggests that a more persuasive
case is made in person or on the phone than in an email.
Asserting that the reluctance to speak on the phone has come to be referred
to as telephobia, does highlight the fact that such an urge especially in the
telephone-based journalism field can be misleading. Controlled studies where
participants practiced speaking on the phone within an appealing environment
have been useful to many as they have been associated with a reduction in anxiety
and improved phone-based skills. The tradition of writing letters and sending
them, despite many technologies having come up, still has not been rendered

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obsolete since there are many experts who argue that there still exists a need for
phone calls whether one likes it or not.
As stated by No Kyung-min, published in The Korea Herald article in
2023, people in their 20s, particularly, are the worst hit: 43.6% say they feel
stressed before making calls, while the rates are considerably low for other age
groups. And researchers trace the source to the dominance of text-based
communication during the formative years, because this is much less emotionally
overwhelming compared to phone conversations.
Experts tend to link phone anxiety to the lack of non-verbal cues, emotional
immediacy of voice, and pressure toward immediate response. Ways to get rid of
phone anxiety include gradual exposure to phone calls, preparing scripts,
diaphragmatic breathing techniques, and adopting positive thoughts about phone
interactions. These techniques would improve confidence and decrease stress
levels, particularly when telephone communication is necessary in the workplace.
Also in 2023, the BBC Science Focus identifies the causes of Telephobia:
 Fear of Judgment
 Lack of Visual Cues
 Shift in Communication Preference
 Association with traumatic experiences
 Contributory Factors
 Cognitive Dissonance
 Pandemic Effects
 Curated Online Personas
 By contrast, social media and other digital means create an alcohol-controlled
presentation of self whereas phone calls do not.
 The overall decline in routine phone use, as presented by the decrease in the
number of calls, is translating into increasing anxiety surrounding the phone.
According to experts, telephobia should be treated by gradual exposure and
comforting oneselfoneself again with direct verbal interactions.

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2.2.3. National Articles
In 2022, Báo Thanh Niên informed that young people nowadays are into
texting more than making calls, diving into the world of messaging apps where an
emoji or a symbol says a lot. Associate Professor Tran Thu Huong from the
Faculty of Psychology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam
National University Hanoi, said texting lowers one's chances of being judged by
others. Still, the method may prove inefficient in activities that need direct
communication. This use of indirect forms of communication may signal a lack of
confidence or direction, possibly indicative of generational characteristics.
Gradual exposure to phone calls is therefore recommended to overcome
phone call anxiety. Prolonged avoidance not only obstructs professional and
personal opportunities but may also act as a trigger to social anxiety disorder
whereby uncontrolled anxiety and fear interfere with the quality of life of the
individual.
Then in 2023, VTV 24 highlighted that avoidance of some communication
techniques may also reflect the generational traits especially lacking confidence or
a sense of direction.
Progressive desensitization starting with basic calls and eventually moving
onto more complex calls is one of the remedies for overcoming phone call
reluctance. Patients who have a chronic case of avoiding social communication,
lose plenty of opportunities in both professional and personal life, which
particularly is the source of social anxiety disorder where the person is filled with
an insurmountable fear or anxiety and prevents the person from going about their
lives.
According to Dân Trí article, the telephobia's inception in 1913, to its
infamous resurgence in contemporary society. To help understand one of the forms
of existing telephobia, the one feared by the fictional character’s such as Kafka as
well as Queen Mary and which was characterized by dread of physical violence,
invasion of privacy, and a mystical perception of the telephone.
The evolution of telephobia can also be showcased through the examples of
younger employees who were fielded in a survey, in 2013 forty percent of them
expressed anxiety, and 5 actually developed the telephobia. Moving forward, the
statistics were 94% of the younger workers preferring emails, and by 2019 62% of
the older age workers suffered emotionally distressing as a result of working. The
rise of millennials was particularly staggering as their number reached up to 76%.

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All these examples outline how people began developing anxiety even over the
fear of missing someone to be bothered by them.
It is evident that because of the younger generation's rise, more versatile
approaches have emerged. The approach especially emphasizes the psychological
wave which struck society due to the emergence of the vast technological wave.
Taking everything into account does allow for the consideration of telephobia
within workplaces and other contexts.
The article of Giáo Dục Thời Đại discusses the increasing number of
telephobia, a psychological condition similar to social anxiety but extending to
phone calls. This condition seems to be more common in the youth. Most people
suffering from this disorder usually have the same symptoms which are an
avoidance of all phone calls, delayed replying cues, a fixation of reprimanding
oneself over past conversations, as well as having anxiety for anything phone
related. This can have negative repercussions as a person suffering from telephobia
can develop anxiety from speaking to people over the phone. In one instance, a
young journalist celebrated for his work, ended up resigning due to phone
communication-related anxiety.
Experts on social interactions suggest that people now prefer to text than
call as they dislike voice communication. They further add that it is likely to be a
result of negative interaction together with being unable to understand body
language. A study revealed that nearly three-quarters of young people are able to
avoid calls which further supports their arguments.
Engaging this condition with phone related anxiety can be done through a
gradual process. Some of the techniques include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,
exposure therapy, as well as talking to someone over the phone. Acknowledgement
of apprehension over the use of technology is key as it helps prevent serious
mental disorders later down the line. Otherwise, telephobia could spiral in due
time and develop into depression as well as social interaction anxiety.
Vn Express examines the rising prevalence of telephobia, a fear of making
or receiving phone calls, which is increasingly common globally, especially
among young people. Symptoms include rapid heartbeat, sweating, and anxiety
triggered by phone calls, often due to reliance on texting. Notably, South Korean
singer IU admitted experiencing severe telephobia, which limits her phone
conversations even with close acquaintances.

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 Despite advancements in mobile communication over the past 50 years,
telephobia has intensified, partly due to the convenience and growing dependence
on texting. Studies indicate that 75% of individuals aged 26-41 avoid phone calls,
citing reasons such as convenience (76%), reduced disruption (63%), habit (53%),
and lack of voicemail usage (19%).
Therapy centers in Seoul, South Korea, are offering targeted programs to
help individuals, including professionals and job seekers, overcome this fear.
Training involves writing scripts tailored to specific professions, simulated phone
calls, and strategies to manage anxiety. Experts suggest regular communication
with family and friends and gradually increasing exposure to phone calls as
effective methods to reduce telephobia.
This phenomenon highlights the broader societal shift away from voice
communication, with implications for mental health and interpersonal connections.

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