Nightmares in the general population: identifying potential causal factors

The objective of this study was to identify mechanistically plausible factors, beyond negative affect, that may explain why individuals experience nightmares.Method846 participants from the UK general population completed an online survey about nightmare occurrence and severity (pre-occupation, distress, and impairment), negative affect, worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, paranoia, alcohol use, sleep duration, physical activity levels, PTSD symptoms, and stressful life events. Associations of nightmares with the putative predictive factors were tested controlling for levels of negative affect. Analyses were also repeated controlling for levels of PTSD and the recent occurrence of stressful life events.ResultsNightmare occurrence, adjusting for negative affect, was associated with higher levels of worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, paranoia, and sleep duration (odds ratios 1.25 –1.45). Nightmare severity, controlling for negative affect, was associated with higher levels of worry, depersonalisation, hallucinatory experiences, and paranoia (R2s: 0.33 –0.39). Alcohol use and physical activity levels were not associated with nightmares.DiscussionThe study identifies a number of potential predictors of the occurrence and severity of nightmares. Causal roles require testing in future longitudinal, experimental, and treatment studies.
Source: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research