Relations among Nightmare Frequency and Ego Strength, Death Anxiety, and Sex of College Students
Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 1989 DOI: 10.1177/00315125890693-208 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Undergraduates |
| Topics | Anxiety Dreaming Ego dissolution |
| Key findings | Nightmare frequency was associated with lower ego strength but not with death anxiety; a negative correlation between death anxiety and ego strength was strongest in women with high nightmare frequency. |
Abstract
The present study was designed to investigate empirically the relationship between self-reports of nightmare frequency and ego strength and death anxiety in both men and women. In addition, the interrelations among these variables were assessed. 20 undergraduates with high frequencies of nightmares and 20 with low frequencies (10 men and 10 women per group) were administered the Barron Ego Strength Scale and a death anxiety scale. Significant differences were found between nightmare groups on the Barron scale for men and women but none on the death anxiety scale either by nightmare frequency or sex. A significant negative correlation of -.47 between death anxiety and ego strength was found for women and in one high frequency group. Women with high frequencies of nightmares showed the highest correlation, -.83. These data suggest that nightmare frequency may be a mediating factor in the relationship between ego strength, death anxiety, and sex of subject.