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)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,995 |
| Population | Children and adolescents in the UK |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Dream Content measure theory Content analysis Developmental psychology Psychotherapist Social science |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | 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.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Dream habits in a large cohort of preteens and their relation to sleep and nocturnal awakenings. Journal of Sleep Research April 1, 2025
- The reflection of childhood memories in adult dreams: a psychological and physiological approach The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery October 11, 2026
- Dreaming about Dogs: An Online Survey. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI October 19, 2020
Cites 10
- Relation Between Waking Sport Activities, Reading, and Dream Content in Sport Students and Psychology Students The Journal of Psychology May 1, 2008
- Erotic dreams and their relationship to waking-life sexuality Sexologies June 25, 2008
- Continuity between waking life and dreams of psychiatric patients A review and discussion of the implications for dream research University Library Heidelberg 2014
- Gender Differences in Dream Content: Related to Biological Sex or Sex Role Orientation? Imagination, Cognition and Personality October 1, 2010
- Gender differences in dreaming in childhood and adolescence: The UK Library study ORCA Online Research @Cardiff 2012
and 5 more in the library