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David Cunnington

3 papers in the library · publishing 2024-2026

Papers

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Is a fear of death keeping you awake at night? Death anxiety predicts insomnia through nightmare severity

Death Studies July 2, 2026 Rachel E. Menzies, Jessie Brown, Mitchell Turner et al.

The fear of death (death anxiety) is a risk factor for various mental health conditions. Death anxiety has been theorized to elicit physiological arousal and worry and is empirically associated with attachment insecurity, each of which has been linked to disrupted sleep. However, limited research has explored the relationship between death anxiety, nightmares and insomnia. We examined the...

Disturbing dreams, nightmares, and psychological distress are predictors of poor sleep quality.

University Library Heidelberg April 1, 2025 Ian C. Dunican, Hailey Meaklim, Mitchell Turner et al.

Objective: Up to 40% of adults report poor sleep quality, yet research investigating the role of nightmares on sleep quality is limited. This study aimed to characterise the prevalence of disturbing dreams and nightmares and their relationship to poor sleep quality. Method: 439 adults (310 females, Mage=44.9 years) completed an online survey investigating sleep, dreams, nightmares, and mental...

P079 Words matter: Dream content may predict psychological distress

SLEEP Advances October 1, 2024 Malisa Burge, Hailey Meaklim, M. Turner et al.

Abstract Introduction Dream content analysis is not a routine part of a clinical sleep assessment. However, dreams are an important part of the sleep experience and may provide insights into other health domains. This study investigated the relationship between descriptions of dream content and psychological distress. Methods The study cohort consisted of 217 participants (149 female, age...