Individual Differences Research
May 22, 2026
William E. Kelly
Nightmare proneness and neuroticism are strongly related constructs which differentially predict variance in nightmares, yet their empirical distinctiveness remains unclear. The current study examined relationships among nightmare proneness, neuroticism, and nightmares in 774 university students. Principal axis exploratory factor analysis indicated that nightmare proneness and neuroticism items...
Journal of International Scholarship
2026
William E. Kelly
Nightmares are distressing dreams that occur across psychological conditions and may reflect underlying vulnerability in the regulation of internal experience rather than symptoms of specific psychiatric disorders. This study examined relationships among self-structure self-functions (regulation and integration of internal experience), nightmare proneness (a cognitive-affective processing style...
Sleep Science
March 1, 2025
William E. Kelly, Richard C. Zamora, Soeun Park
Abstract Introduction Previous research found that nightmare proneness, a purported disposition to experience frequent nightmares, accounted for nightmare frequency independent of neuroticism and distress. However, these findings may have been the result of reduced reliability and content validity of the measures. The current study aimed to replicate these findings using established, lengthier...
Individual Differences Research
December 1, 2023
Emily O. Cooper, William E. Kelly
This study employed an analog design to evaluate optimal cut scores for the Nightmare Experience Scale (NExS) to identify individuals with possible clinically salient nightmares (CSNs) in a nonclinical sample. Undergraduate participants (N = 480) completed the NExS, the Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI), and the SLEEP-50 Nightmare Scale (S50-N). Using established DDNSI and...
Sleep Science
March 1, 2023
William E. Kelly
Introduction Nightmare proneness, a trait-like disposition to experience frequent nightmares, has been strongly related to psychological distress. The aim of the present study was to examine if cardiac symptoms and hypothetically-related variables, nightmares, and perceived physical health could be used to differentiate nightmare proneness and psychological distress. Materials and Methods In...
Individual Differences Research
December 1, 2020
William E. Kelly
Nightmares may signal failures in emotional and self-regulation. Drawing on ego-psychological theory, this study tested whether specific ego functions predict nightmare frequency beyond neuroticism. University students (N = 269) completed the Nightmare Experience Scale, Ego Functions Assessment, and Mini-IPIP Neuroticism Scale. Hierarchical regression showed ego functioning accounted for...
Sleep and Hypnosis
August 14, 2017
William E. Kelly
8 citations
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...
Sleep and Hypnosis
April 25, 2016
William E. Kelly
6 citations
This study examined whether college students reporting frequent nightmares would score differently on scales of the Ausburg Multidimensional Personality Instrument (AMPI; Kelly, 2012) relative to a comparison group.University students (N=373) completed the AMPI and a questionnaire to assess how frequently they experienced nightmares.The results indicated that individuals with frequent...
William E. Kelly, Ani Enriquez, Faith Yanez
preprint
Nightmare proneness has been associated with insomnia beyond nightmare frequency and neuroticism. The present study examined physiological hyperarousal as a potential process contributing to this relationship. Participants were 209 adults recruited from a university participant pool and an online community sample. Participants completed self-report measures of nightmare proneness, insomnia,...