Nightmare Distress Questionnaire: associated factors.
Michael Schredl, Finnja Schramm, Katja Valli, Erik M Mueller, Nils Sandman
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 2021 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.8824 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,474 |
| Population | Adults who completed an online survey (893 women, 581 men) |
| Measures | Nightmare Distress Questionnaire |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Humans Dreams Female Surveys and questionnaires Sensation seeking Neuroticism Agreeableness Harm avoidance Openness to experience Nightmare frequency Nightmare distress |
| Key findings | Nightmare distress correlated with several factors besides nightmare frequency: neuroticism, female sex, low education, extraversion, low agreeableness, sensation seeking, and a higher percentage of replicative trauma-related nightmares. Harm avoidance was not helpful in explaining individual differences in nightmare distress. The authors argue these associations are clinically important but note that relationships with education and agreeableness are not yet understood. |
Abstract
Study
Objectives: The diagnosis of a nightmare disorder is based on clinically significant distress caused by the nightmares, eg, sleep or mood disturbances during the day. The question what factors might be associated with nightmare distress in addition to nightmares frequency is not well studied.
Methods: Overall, 1,474 persons (893 women, 581 men) completed an online survey. Nightmare distress was measured with the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire.
Results: The findings indicated that nightmare distress, measured by the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire, correlated with a variety of factors in addition to nightmare frequency: neuroticism, female sex, low education, extraversion, low agreeableness, and sensation seeking. Moreover, the percentage of replicative trauma-related nightmares was also associated with higher nightmare distress.
Conclusions: A large variety of factors are associated with nightmare distress, a finding that is of clinical importance. The construct harm avoidance, however, was not helpful in explaining interindividual differences in nightmare distress. Furthermore, the relationship between nightmare distress and other factors, eg, education or agreeableness, is not yet understood.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 583 |
| Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) | n = 8,558 |
| Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) | 2003 | Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling | n = 444 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 919 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- The Relationship between Nightmare Experience and Athletes’ Personality Traits and Anxiety International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health October 8, 2022
- Nightmare experiences and perceived ethnic discrimination amongst female university students in the United Arab Emirates: a cross‐sectional study Journal of Sleep Research January 17, 2024
- Nightmare Frequency and Nightmare Distress in Poor Sleepers: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Sleep Research August 21, 2025
- Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Nightmares Distress Questionnaire (NDQ-AV) in a community sample of adolescents. BMC Psychiatry August 9, 2024
- Seeking help for nightmares: Associated personality factors. Journal of Sleep Research June 21, 2023
and 1 more in the library
Cites 14
- Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Sleep 2002
- The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Journal of Sleep Research May 26, 2004
- Prevalence of Nightmare Disorder in Psychiatric Outpatients Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2013
- Nightmare frequency in a representative German sample University Library Heidelberg 2013
- Nightmare distress, nightmare frequency, and beliefs about nightmares University Library Heidelberg May 23, 2019
and 9 more in the library