Dreaming in the time of COVID-19: A quali-quantitative Italian study.
Ilaria Iorio, Massimiliano Sommantico, Santa Parrello
Dreaming September 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1037/drm0000142 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey of 796 Italian adults (73.2% women, ages 18–79) found that dreams reflected waking-life distress. Women recalled dreams more often than men and reported more intense emotions, a predominantly negative tone, and more negative emotions and sensory impressions in their most recent dreams. Of all dreams reported, 159 (20%) explicitly referenced COVID-19. Participants who knew someone affected by or who had died of COVID-19 reported higher emotional intensity and sensory impressions in their most recent dreams. Most recent dreams were set in external locations and featured strong negative emotions, particularly involving danger, violence, and frustration. The findings suggest that analyzing dream content can reveal how catastrophic events affect people's inner lives.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 796 |
| Population | Italian adults aged 18-79 |
| Keywords | Dream Content measure theory Tone literature 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak Developmental psychology |
| Citations | 46 |
| Key finding | Dreams during the COVID-19 pandemic frequently contained negative emotions and explicit references to the pandemic, with women and those personally affected by the virus reporting more intense and negative dream content. |
Abstract
Based on the continuity hypothesis of dreaming with waking life, we have studied the effects of isolation on the dreams of Italian persons, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic The present study included a sample of 796 subjects (73 2% women;ages 18-79 years, M = 30 3, SD = 12 8) Participants were asked to complete a dream questionnaire, as well as to report their most recent dream, by responding to specific questions related to the content of their dream (e g , realism/bizarreness, positive vs negative emotions, emotional intensity and tone) Results indicate the following: Female participants were higher recallers than men and reported higher emotional intensity and a predominantly negative emotional tone of their dreams, as well as higher negative emotions and sensory impressions in their most recent dreams;159 dreams (20%) included explicit COVID-19 references;participants knowing people affected by or who have died of COVID-19 report higher emotional intensity and sensory impressions in their most recent dreams;and the most recent dreams have been set in external locations and have presented strong negative emotions, especially with respect to dangerous, violent, and frustrating situations In sum, the findings of this study indicate that the method of quali-quantitative dream content analysis is a very informative approach for studying the effects of significant contextual and catastrophic events, such as COVID-19 pandemic, on people's inner lives