Gender differences in nightmare characteristics following trauma
Psihologija June 9, 2023 Protić Sonja, Gorzka Robert-Jacek, Höllmer Helge et al.
In a sample of 707 soldiers (mean age 31.3 years, 19.5% women) admitted to a hospital-based treatment program for veterans, gender differences in posttraumatic nightmare characteristics were examined after controlling for trauma-related psychopathology. No gender differences were found in nightmare frequency, psychophysical and emotional involvement, reorientation, or dream recall after awakening. Differences between men and women in the amount of replicative nightmare content were fully explained by PTSD diagnosis, nightmare frequency, and age; differences in nightmare-related impairment were also mainly explained by these factors. The findings question the significance of gender as a risk factor for specific posttraumatic nightmare characteristics in traumatized military samples.