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Asha Akram

2 papers in the library · 31 citations · publishing 2020

Papers

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.

DOI: 10.1038/s41537-020-0103-y (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Nightmare Dream Mediation Psychosis +7

Examining the Factor Structure, Reliability, and Validity of the Disturbing Dreams and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI) Consequences Sub-component

Behavioural Sleep Medicine December 21, 2020 S. Allen, M. Gardani, Asha Akram et al.

A survey of 757 university students in the UK found that the consequences of nightmares can be separated into two distinct types: sleep interference (disrupting sleep quality) and psychosocial well-being (affecting mood and daily functioning). Sleep interference was the strongest predictor of insomnia, while psychosocial well-being was the strongest predictor of anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and lower self-efficacy. Both types of consequences showed moderate correlations with nightmare chronicity, insomnia, anxiety, depression, stress, and self-efficacy. The findings suggest that distinguishing between these two types of nightmare consequences may be important for understanding their links to mental health in student populations.

DOI: 10.1080/15402002.2020.1862848 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Medicine Psychology