Characteristics of the frequent nightmare sufferer.

Berquier, Anne; Ashton, Roderick

doi:10.1037/0021-843x.101.2.246

Cited by 82 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Three independent investigations (Berquier & Ashton, 1992;Blagrove et al, 2004;Zadra & Donderi, 2000) demonstrated significantly higher levels of neuroticism as measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ; Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975) for individuals with frequent nightmares compared with controls. Similarly, Claridge, Davis, Bellhouse, and Kaptein (1998) reported a relationship between EPQ neuroticism and nightmare distress, although they did not assess nightmare frequency.…”

Section: Nightmares Are Associated With Neuroticism and Global Symptomentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbed dreaming, posttraumatic stress disorder, and affect distress: A review and neurocognitive model.

Levin

Nielsen

2007

Psychological Bulletin

527

557

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nightmares are common, occurring weekly in 4%-10% of the population, and are associated with female gender, younger age, increased stress, psychopathology, and dispositional traits. Nightmare pathogenesis remains unexplained, as do differences between nontraumatic and posttraumatic nightmares (for those with or without posttraumatic stress disorder) and relations with waking functioning. No models adequately explain nightmares nor have they been reconciled with recent developments in cognitive neuroscience, fear acquisition, and emotional memory. The authors review the recent literature and propose a conceptual framework for understanding a spectrum of dysphoric dreaming. Central to this is the notion that variations in nightmare prevalence, frequency, severity, and psychopathological comorbidity reflect the influence of both affect load, a consequence of daily variations in emotional pressure, and affect distress, a disposition to experience events with distressing, highly reactive emotions. In a cross-state, multilevel model of dream function and nightmare production, the authors integrate findings on emotional memory structures and the brain correlates of emotion.Keywords: nightmares, distress, neurophysiology of fear memory, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychopathology Nightmares are the most common form of disturbed dreaming. Vivid, with emotions escalating at times to the brink of terror, they are manifestations of the dramatic autonomic and cognitive fluctuations that can arise during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and, under certain circumstances, during Stage 2 sleep. Nightmares can be simple and benign or so emotionally severe that they beg for comparison with psychotic episodes (C. Fisher, Byrne, Edwards, & Kahn, 1970;Hartmann, 1984;Sullivan, 1962). Occasional nightmares are almost ubiquitous in the general population. However, frequent distressing nightmares are more common than generally thought, affecting 4%-10% of individuals by conservative estimates. Nightmares are also extremely common following trauma exposure. Posttraumatic nightmares may depict traumarelated content and, in cases of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may at times replicate the trauma with great distress (for review, see Mellman & Pigeon, 2005).There has been a proliferation of experimental work on posttraumatic and nontraumatic nightmares in the past 15 years, the vast majority of which has examined the psychopathological correlates of individuals with frequent nightmares. Furthermore, recent advances in neuroscience have greatly expanded our understanding of dreaming and related brain functions (Maquet, 2000;Maquet et al., 2000) as well as the pathogenic mechanisms implicated in fear conditioning and the development of PTSD (LeDoux, 2000;Ohman & Mineka, 2001). However, despite the clear implications of these developments for understanding nightmares, there are still no comprehensive models of nightmare etiology and no conceptual frameworks for understanding the link between posttraumatic and nontraumatic nightm...

show abstract

Section: Nightmares Are Associated With Neuroticism and Global Symptomentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbed dreaming, posttraumatic stress disorder, and affect distress: A review and neurocognitive model.

Levin

Nielsen

2007

Psychological Bulletin

527

557

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Both Berquier and Ashton (1992) and Kelly (2016) found that nightmares were associated with scores on broad-spectrum personality instruments which might reflect personality maladjustment and related psychological symptomology. Recently, Sheaves et al (2016) produced similar findings and observed that nightmares were related to several markers of mental illness in a college student sample.…”

Section: Original Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

The Nightmare Proneness Scale: A Proposed Measure for the Tendency to Experience Nightmares

Kelly¹

2017

Sleep Hypn

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article presents three studies aimed at the development and analysis of a proposed measure of nightmare proneness, the tendency to experience nightmares frequently. In Study 1 a sample of 205 university students was utilized to create the Nightmare Proneness Scale (NPS), consisting of personality and symptomatology items that significantly differentiated between individuals reporting frequent nightmares and controls. Study 2 cross-validated the ability of the NPS to discriminate between frequent nightmare reporters and controls among a sample of 275 students. Study 2 also found that the NPS accounted for unique variance in nightmare frequency above other measures of distress. The NPS possessed adequate internal consistency across all studies. Study 3 demonstrated satisfactory test-retest reliability of the NPS. The results and suggestions for future research were discussed.

show abstract

“…2,9,[11][12][13][14][15] Additionally, nightmares are associated with a heightened risk of suicidal ideation in both military and civilian populations. 16,17 As sleep and psychiatric disorders are frequently reported in United States military personnel, this population may have a high prevalence of nightmare disorder (NDO).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nightmares in United States Military Personnel With Sleep Disturbances

Creamer

Brock

Matsangas

et al. 2018

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Study Objectives: Sleep disturbances are common in United States military personnel. Despite their exposure to combat and trauma, little is known about nightmares in this population. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and associated clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of nightmares in United States military personnel with sleep disturbances. Methods: Retrospective review of 500 active duty United States military personnel who underwent a sleep medicine evaluation and polysomnography at our sleep center. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Addendum were used to characterize clinically significant nightmares. Subjective and objective sleep attributes were compared between groups. Results: At least weekly nightmares were present in 31.2%; yet, only 3.9% reported nightmares as a reason for evaluation. Trauma-related nightmares occurred in 60% of those patients with nightmares. Patients with nightmares had increased sleep onset latency (SOL) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency (mean SOL/REM sleep latency 16.6/145 minutes, P = .02 and P = .01 respectively) compared to those without (mean SOL/REM sleep latency 12.5/126 minutes I NTRO DUCTI O NNightmares are defined by repeated occurrences of extended, extremely dysphoric, and well-remembered dreams that cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning. 1 Occasional nightmares are part of a normal adaptive response to life stressors and are not pathologic, with 85% of adults reporting at least one nightmare per year. 2 The prevalence of clinically significant nightmares, which occur at least once per week, is estimated between 0.9% and 6.8%. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In the largest study to date (69,813 adults), the prevalence of nightmares was 3.5% in men and 4.8% in women. 10 Participants from the World War II generation had a significantly higher prevalence of 7.2% in men and 7% in women. Nightmares are more common among patients with sleep disturbances, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder However, most research evaluating sleep disorders in active duty military personnel has focused on insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and PTSD, noting that a recent study focusing on OSA and PTSD did not evaluate nightmares. [18][19][20] Following traumatic experiences, sleep disturbances are frequently reported, including trauma-related nightmares (TRN). 21 The nightmares of trauma survivors tend to be more severe and distressing than idiopathic nightmares. 1,3 Though not exclusive to PTSD, TRN have been referred to as the "hallmark" of this disorder, with rates as high as 90%. 22,23 Addressing nightmares as a distinct sleep disorder following a BRIEF SUMMARY Current Knowledge/Study Rationale: The spectrum of sleep disorders in military personnel is varied and complicated by the presence of comorbidities and psychological disorders. Currently, little is known regarding nightmares, especially trauma-related nig...

show abstract

Characteristics of the frequent nightmare sufferer.

Cited by 82 publications

References 17 publications

Disturbed dreaming, posttraumatic stress disorder, and affect distress: A review and neurocognitive model.

Disturbed dreaming, posttraumatic stress disorder, and affect distress: A review and neurocognitive model.

The Nightmare Proneness Scale: A Proposed Measure for the Tendency to Experience Nightmares

Nightmares in United States Military Personnel With Sleep Disturbances

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About