Associations between Nightmare Frequency, Nightmare Distress, and Psychopathological Problems among Chinese College Students: a Population-based Survey.
The Psychiatric quarterly October 9, 2025 Meiheng He, Meng Sun, Xiaoting Liu et al.
Among 5,824 Chinese college students, 5.9% reported having nightmares at least once a month in the past year, and 31.9% reported at least one nightmare in the past month. Three distinct profiles of nightmare distress were identified, and a score of 37 was the optimal cutoff for severe distress. Female students and sophomores or juniors were more likely to experience frequent nightmares, while higher family income was linked to lower nightmare frequency and distress. Both nightmare frequency and distress were positively associated with psychopathological symptoms, indicating that nightmares are a clinically significant concern in this population.