Nightmare Frequency and Nightmare Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Overview

Journal J Clin Sleep Med

Specialties Neurology
Psychiatry

Date 2022 Sep 8

PMID 36073841

Authors

Anellka Remedios

Silvia Marin-Dragu

Francis Routledge

Sara Hamm

Ravishankar Subramani Iyer

Matt Orr

Sandra Meier

Michael Schredl

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Study Objectives: The current study investigated nightmare frequency and distress during the pandemic and associated factors.

Methods: Participants (n = 1,718) completed a survey, 747 of which were youth. The MADRE dream questionnaire was used to collect self-reported data on nightmare frequency and distress. In addition, personality traits, current stressors, and COVID-related anxiety were also measured. An ordinal regression model was used for statistical analysis, and < .05 was considered significant.

Results: The findings from this study suggest (1) COVID-related anxiety is associated with the frequency of nightmares and the severity of nightmare distress experienced by a person, and (2) findings support the continuity hypothesis, which suggests waking life experiences are related to nightmares and (3) increased COVID-related anxiety contributes independently to nightmare frequency. COVID-related anxiety appeared to be more prevalent within adults ( < .001, effect size = 0.18) compared to youth. Similar results were found for nightmare distress.

Conclusions: The risk of nightmares may have increased due to disruptions in mental health and sleep caused by the COVID-19 crisis. These findings may be important in clinician efforts to understand nightmares and the risk of problematic sleep during the pandemic.

Citation: Remedios A, Marin-Dragu S, Routledge F, et al. Nightmare frequency and nightmare distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. . 2023;19(1):163-169.

Citing Articles

How COVID-19 Affected Sleep Talking Episodes, Sleep and Dreams?.

Camaioni M, Scarpelli S, Alfonsi V, Gorgoni M, Calzolari R, De Bartolo M Brain Sci. 2024; 14(5).

PMID: 38790464 PMC: 11119596. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14050486.

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