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...
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...
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
2025
Louise Sharpe, Madelyne A Bisby, Rachel E. Menzies et al.
7 citations
This study aimed to determine the relative efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) or cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in comparison to a waitlist control (WLC) for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Participants completed assessments before and after treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Two hundred and sixty-nine participants with RA were recruited and randomised in a 2:2:1...
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...
Death Studies
February 2, 2023
Sam G. Moreton, Andrew F. Arena, Yolanda Foy et al.
19 citations
Research over the past several decades suggests that meaningful psychedelic experiences can engender long-term effects on subjective wellbeing. However, less research has investigated the psychological mechanisms through which these effects may emerge. In the present study, participants (N = 201) completed an online survey that retrospectively measured the acute effects of a meaningful...
Psychopharmacology
November 29, 2019
Sam G. Moreton, Luke Szalla, Rachel E. Menzies et al.
77 citations
Psychedelic therapies can engender enduring improvements in psychological well-being. However, relatively little is known about the psychological mechanisms through which the salutary effects of psychedelics emerge. Through integrating extant research on psychedelics with contemporary existential psychology, we present a novel hypothesis that reduced death anxiety may be a key mechanism...