Evaluation of dream content in combat-related PTSD.
K Esposito, A Benitez, L Barza, T Mellman
Journal of Traumatic Stress October 1, 1999 DOI: 10.1023/a:1024725319777 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstractAbstract
Nightmares that replicate traumatic events are among the criteria that define posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, there has been limited systematic assessment of the content of dreams in PTSD. A PTSD dream rating instrument was developed to operationalize features attributed to dreams associated with combat-related PTSD that incorporated dimensions from the dream content analysis literature, and its reliability was assessed. Then the instrument was used to characterize dream reports in 18 Vietnam combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Approximately half of the group's target dreams contained features characteristic of combat, and all but 3 (17%) were moderately to highly threatening. Fifty-three percent were set at least partially in the present and 79% contained distorted elements. We therefore conclude that target dreams of combat veterans with PTSD vary with regard to replication of trauma and elements normally associated with dreaming, but typically are threatening.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Using Low Doses in a Small Sample of Women with Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Women with chronic PTSD secondary to sexual assault | 2008 | Observational cohort | n = 6 |
| An Ambulatory Polysomnography Study of the Post-traumatic Nightmares of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment-seeking veterans, current serving military members, and emergency service... | 2017 | Observational study using ambulatory polysomnography | n = 35 |
| Increased Mastery Elements Associated With Imagery Rehearsal Treatment for Nightmares in Sexual Assault Survivors With PTSD. Female sexual assault survivors with chronic nightmares | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 44 |
| Posttraumatic stress symptoms following near-death experiences. Persons who report near-death experiences and those who came close to death without NDEs | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Impact of oral ketamine augmentation on hospital admissions in treatment-resistant depression and PTSD: a retrospective study. Outpatients with treatment-resistant depression and PTSD | 2018 | Retrospective review | n = 37 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- A cognitive model of recurrent nightmares heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2008
- Nightmare Rescripting: Using Imagery Techniques to Treat Sleep Disturbances in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry April 4, 2022
- Reflective awareness in dreams following loss and trauma 2010
- Ontogenetic and Gender Dimensions in a Normative Study of the Dreams of Canadians uO Research 2017
- Apparent Past-Life Memories in a Recurring Dream of the 1934 Los Angeles New Year’s Flood Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition October 18, 2022
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