Beyond the Fear: A Conceptual Exploration of Neurophobia and Neurohesitancy Among Palestinian Medical Students and Interns Doctors

Background Jozefowicz defines neurophobia as “the fear of neuroscience and clinical neuroscience on the part of medical students”. Based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, our study proposes neurophobia as a consequence of low levels of self-efficacy, which is explained by environmental and educational obstacles. We aim to estimate neurophobia in Palestine and introduce the concept of “Neurohisitancy” to illustrate the conditional avoidance despite having interest. Methods We carried out a cross-sectional study with an online survey, conducted between September 2025 and January 2026. We developed a questionnaire designed to identify independent predictors of neurophobia and using logistic regression to determine the neurohesitant demographic students who would choose neuroscience and neurology only if educational methods changed. Results Our sample included 380 responses, 18.95% of them showed neurophobia, which is lower than regional and global averages despite scarcity of resources. Interestingly, a significant 22.63% of the sample was identified as “neurohesitant”. Transition from medical student into intern doctor reduces the prevalence from 26.28% to only 16%, this meaningful reduction explained by “reality shock” in the clinical rotations that negatively impacts self efficacy. Conclusion In lines with Murphy at el, intrinsic interest worked as a potent protective factor, significantly buffering students against neurophobia. While primary drivers of hesitancy are represented by reduced confidence in neurological examination and perceived insufficiency of educational resources.