Dreaming in Adolescents During the COVID-19 Health Crisis: Survey Among a Sample of European School Students
Ana Guerrero-Gomez, Isabel Nöthen-Garunja, Michael Schredl, Annelore Homberg, Maria Vulcan, Asja Brusìc, Caterina Bonizzi, Cecilia Iannaco
Frontiers in Psychology April 20, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.652627 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,105 |
| Population | Secondary school students in Italy, Romania, and Croatia |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Pandemic Recall Dream Distress Mental health Sample material Clinical psychology Demography Developmental psychology Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key findings | Subjective emotional reactions to lockdown had a significantly higher correlation to dreaming than objective distress from COVID-19 illness or death of a close one. |
Abstract
According to the continuity hypothesis of dreaming and contemporary psychodynamic approaches, dreams reflect waking life. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and dreaming in adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Italy, Romania and Croatia involving 2,105 secondary school students (69% girls, mean age 15.6 ± 2.1 years; 31% boys, mean age 15.1 ± 2.2 years; mean age of whole sample 15.4 ± 2.1 years). No substantial differences between countries were found. Thirty-one percent of the participants reported heightened dream recall, 18% noticed an increase in nightmares during the lockdown, and 15% of the provided dreams ( n = 498) included pandemic-related content. The results indicate that subjective emotional reactions to lockdown had a significantly higher correlation to dreaming than objective distress (i.e., illness or death of a close one because of COVID-19). These findings suggest that attention to dreams should be included in preventive programs for adolescents with pandemic-related stress.
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
- Nightmare content during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Influence of COVID‐related stress and sleep disruption in the United States Journal of Sleep Research August 18, 2021
- Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Traumatized Us Collectively? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Sleep Factors via Traumatization: A Multinational Survey Nature and Science of Sleep August 1, 2022
- Dream Recall Frequency, Lucid Dream Frequency, and Personality During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Imagination, Cognition and Personality December 1, 2022
- Longitudinal Findings on the Oneiric Activity Changes Across the Pandemic. Nature and Science of Sleep 2023
- An observatory on changes in dreaming during a pandemic: a living systematic review (part 1). Journal of Sleep Research June 1, 2023
and 1 more in the library
Cites 21
- Dreaming during the Covid-19 pandemic: Computational assessment of dream reports reveals mental suffering related to fear of contagion PLoS One November 30, 2020
- Dreaming and the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey in a U.S. sample. Dreaming September 1, 2020
- Dreaming in the time of COVID-19: A quali-quantitative Italian study. Dreaming September 1, 2020
- Spotlight on dream recall: the ages of dreams Nature and Science of Sleep 2018
- Dreams and dreaming among the elderly: An overview Aging & Mental Health February 1, 1999
and 16 more in the library