Gender Differences in the Dream Content of Children and Adolescents: The UK Library Study
Michael Schredl, Verena S. Struck, Christine Schwert, Melanie Blei, Josie Henley, Mark Blagrove
The American Journal of Psychology September 18, 2019 DOI: 10.5406/amerjpsyc.132.3.0315 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractGender differences in the dreams of children and adolescents mirror those seen in adults. In a large UK sample of 1,995 most recent dreams, boys reported more physical aggression and fewer female characters, while girls' dreams more often featured indoor settings. These patterns support the continuity hypothesis, which holds that dreams reflect waking life. Dream content analysis offers a window into the inner world of young people, revealing their experiences, thoughts, and concerns. Future studies should measure waking aggression, social contacts, and leisure activities to directly link waking and dreaming.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,995 |
| Population | Children and adolescents in the UK |
| Keywords | Dream Content measure theory Content analysis Developmental psychology Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key finding | Gender differences in dream content (more physical aggression and fewer female characters in boys' dreams, more indoor settings in girls' dreams) are consistent with adult findings and the continuity hypothesis. |
Abstract
Abstract Although gender differences in the dreams of adults have been studied extensively, large-scale studies in children and adolescents are scarce. The UK Library Study collected 1,995 most recent dreams of children and adolescents. Boys reported more physical aggression and fewer female characters in their dreams, whereas indoor settings were more prominent in girls’ dreams, results that are consistent with the findings in adults and the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. The study indicates that dream content analysis is a valuable tool for studying the inner world of children and adolescents because dreams reflect their waking life experiences, thoughts, and concerns. It would be informative to include measures of waking life aggression, frequency of social contacts, and leisure time activities to provide evidence for direct links between waking and dreaming.