Frontiers in SleepFebruary 27, 2026Lisa DeMarni Cromer, Emily Kaier Cromwell, Lauren Prince et al.
Theories of chronic nightmare maintenance highlight dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and nightmares, distress and arousal, anticipatory anxiety, maladaptive sleep habits, and sleep deprivation as perpetuating factors that maintain nightmare disorder over time. Theories of nightmare treatment suggest that self-efficacy is a common factor in nightmare mitigation. The current article introduces...
Frontiers in SleepJuly 11, 2024Lisa DeMarni Cromer, Sarah Beth Bell, Lauren Prince et al.8 citations
Introduction This study examined the efficacy of a five-module cognitive behavioral therapy for nightmares in children (CBT-NC) and improving sleep. Materials and methods Forty-six youth aged 6–17 years with sleep problems and at least weekly chronic and distressing nightmares were randomized to treatment ( n = 23) or waiting list ( n = 23) using a block four randomized design. Among...
Objective: Retention is challenging in clinical research with pediatric populations. The retention obstacles that are experienced in adult samples are compounded because child samples depend on caregiver support and engagement. The present paper describes retention improvements following protocol adaptations across a pair of cognitive behavioral pilot studies for nightmare sufferers aged 6-17....