Emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between nightmares and psychotic experiences: results from a student population
Schizophrenia June 1, 2020 Umair Akram, Maria Gardani, Kamila R. Irvine et al. 31 citations
Among 1273 UK university students, psychotic experiences were significantly more common in those reporting nightmares (757 students) than in those who did not (516 students). Nightmare intensity, consequences, and resulting awakenings together with emotion regulation difficulties accounted for 32.4% of the variance in psychotic experiences. Emotion regulation difficulties mediated the link between nightmare factors and psychotic experiences, suggesting that trouble regulating emotions may partly explain why some individuals with psychotic experiences have more intense and disruptive nightmares. Adaptive regulation of dream content during REM sleep is thought to control emotional surges, and emotion regulation may be a key mechanism protecting dream content and sleep quality.