Nightmare frequency and nightmare distress: Socio-demographic and personality factors.
Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil) January 1, 2019 Michael Schredl, Anja S Goeritz
Nightmare distress—the sleep or mood disturbances that make nightmares a clinical problem—depends on more than just how often nightmares occur. A survey of 2,492 adults found that heightened emotional reactivity, measured as neuroticism, contributes to global nightmare distress, supporting the neurocognitive model of Levin and Nielsen (2007). Recurring nightmares linked to a waking-life event were associated with even higher distress. The authors suggest future research use diagnostic interviews to better understand nightmare disorder and its related variables.