Objectives The study examined the psychometric properties of the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ) in veterans with a provisional posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and trauma-related nightmares.Method Participants were 659 Australian Defence Force veterans who completed online questionnaires for a larger study investigating military-civilian transition. Analyses included...
OBJECTIVES: Research supports cognitive behavioral therapies for nightmares (CBT-N) in adults. However, the nuances of implementation and unstandardized nomenclature for treatment components has created confusion in the field. To provide clarification, an expert consensus panel convened to review treatment manual components and to develop guidelines for the standardized implementation and...
This study aims to evaluate the effect of meditation-based mind-body interventions (MBIs) (Mindfulness, Tai Chi, Yoga, and Qigong) for older adults with poor sleep quality. Poor sleep quality exerts negative impact on life quality of old adults. The meditation-based mind-body interventions, with merits of simplicity, practicality, accessibility, and widespread dissemination, have been widely...
This study aimed to investigate relationships between lucid dreaming and sleep and mental health outcomes within a representative sample of the general population. We also sought to examine how nightmares interact with the relationship between lucid dreaming, sleep, and mental health outcomes. Participants (N = 1332) completed measures of lucid dream frequency, nightmare frequency, anxiety and...
In this meta-regression, we aimed to explore associations between changes in psychosocial factors and changes in sleep disturbance during mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). We also investigated participant-specific and methodological factors associated with sleep disturbance during MBIs. We utilized data from a published meta-analysis of 40 randomized controlled trials of MBIs (published...
Both sleep and cognition are partially modulated by the endocannabinoid (ECB) system. Cannabis has been reported to have effects on sleep and cognition. This review aims to summarize the recent literature on the ECB system, the role of cannabis and the ECB system on sleep regulation and cognition. Further, this review will identify existing gaps in knowledge and suggest potential targets for...
ABSTRACT Study Objectives The Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI) has been used widely in research and clinical practice without psychometric evidence supporting its use in clinical samples. The present study aimed to explore and confirm the factor structure of the DDNSI in an inpatient sample. We also sought to test the measure’s construct validity. Methods Two samples of...
Previous studies showed that nightmares are prevalent and are associated with negative health outcomes. However, no empirical data is available demonstrating the extent to which nightmare disorder persists over time. Current literature provides a limited understanding of the trajectory and wider mental health outcomes of nightmare disorder. This longitudinal study examined the persistence and...
ABSTRACT Background As the disorder progresses, patients with depression suffer from decreased emotional stability, cognitive control and motivation. In the present study, we examined the effectiveness of three interventions on emotion dysregulation and insomnia severity: 1) mindfulness; 2) physical activity, and 3) mindfulness plus physical activity. Method A total of 50 participants (mean age...
ABSTRACT Rationale Patient-centered outcomes are increasingly sought to evaluate social interactions and healthcare interventions in patients with sleep disorders. Yet, measures to assess quality of life (QoL) are lacking for those who experience nightmares. Objective The aim of the study is to describe the development and validation of a new health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument...
Objectives/Background: Despite Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) being considered the first-line treatment for insomnia, it is not without its challenges. As such it is worthwhile to consider, and test, alternative or adjuvant management options. Methods/Participants: The aim of the present study was to examine whether Lucid Dreaming Training for insomnia (LDT-I) impacted on...
ABSTRACT Background: The Disturbing Dreams and Nightmares Severity Index (DDNSI) is commonly used when assessing the experience of nightmares. It comprises two parts examining i) chronicity and ii) nightmare consequences. The primary aim of the present study was to explore the dimensional structure of the optional and currently unvalidated nightmare consequences component using exploratory...
Objectives: This study sought to assess the utility of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) for nightmares in an inpatient psychiatric setting. Although IRT enjoys a substantial evidence base for efficacy in various populations, data with psychiatric inpatients are lacking. Participants: Participants were 20 adult psychiatric inpatients (11 male, 9 female; mean age=43.4), in an extended stay...
Relatively little is known about isolated sleep paralysis (ISP), and no empirically supported treatments are available. This study aims to determine: the clinical impact of ISP, the techniques used to prevent or disrupt ISP, and the effectiveness of these techniques. 156 undergraduates were assessed with lifetime ISP using a clinical interview. 75.64% experienced fear during ISP, and 15.38%...
Frequency and predictors of nightmares among children 7-11 years old with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 42) and no diagnosis (n = 44) were examined using both prospective and retrospective child and parent reports. Both children with GAD and their parents reported significantly more nightmares than controls based on retrospective reports, but the groups did not differ when nightmares...
This is the first study to empirically investigate the heuristic model of dysphoric dreaming proposed by Levin and Nielsen (2007) . Participants indicated their incidence of nightmares (NMs) and bad dreams (BDs) over 21 days, and rated their subsequent distress in daily dream logs. Results support the contention that the 2 constructs identified in the model, affect load (AL) and affect distress...
This study examined the applicability of imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) to children with frequent nightmares. Eleven boys and 9 girls aged 9 to 11, with moderate to severe primary nightmares (1 or more per week for 6 months) and without posttraumatic stress disorder, were randomly divided into an imagery rehearsal treatment group (n = 9) or a waiting-list (n = 11) group. ANCOVA with repeated...
Problems with nightmares are reported by a sizable proportion of individuals with a history of trauma and by approximately 5% to 8% of the general population. Chronic nightmares may represent a primary sleep disorder rather than a symptom of a psychiatric disorder, and direct targeting of nightmares is a feasible clinical approach to the problem. Of the treatments proposed, imagery rehearsal...
We investigated the impact of imagery rehearsal treatment (IRT) on nightmare frequency, psychological distress, and sleep quality using polysomnography (PSG). 12 chronic nightmare patients completed prospective dream logs, measures of psychological distress, and underwent PSG prior to and 8.5 weeks following a single IRT session. Post-treatment, significant reductions were observed in...