Nightmare frequency in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Michael Schredl, J Malte Bumb, Barbara Alm, Esther Sobanski
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience February 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-016-0686-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 65 |
| Population | Adult ADHD patients |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Comorbid mental disorder Nightmares Treatment |
| Key findings | Nightmare frequency is elevated in adult ADHD patients compared to the general population, and this increase is not explained by dream recall or comorbid mental disorders. |
Abstract
Nightmare frequency in adult ADHD patients has not yet been studied systematically. In a sample of 65 patients, it could be shown that nightmare frequency was elevated in ADHD patients compared to a sample representative for Germany. Frequent nightmares (once a week or more often) were reported by 4.62 % of the patients and 1.77 % of the controls. This increase was neither explained by the increased dream recall in general nor by the presence of a comorbid mental disorder. Questions about nightmares should be included in the diagnostic procedures for ADHD patients, and it should be tested whether well-established nightmare treatment strategies like imagery rehearsal treatment might be beneficial to those patients with nightmares.
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
- Bad dream, nightmares and psychopathology: a systematic review Frontiers in Psychiatry October 8, 2024
- Associations between Nightmare Frequency, Nightmare Distress, and Psychopathological Problems among Chinese College Students: a Population-based Survey. Psychiatric Quarterly October 9, 2025
- Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Nightmare disorder index in adolescents. Stress and Health October 1, 2023
Cites 10
- Prevalence of Nightmare Disorder in Psychiatric Outpatients Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2013
- Nightmare frequency in a representative German sample University Library Heidelberg 2013
- Continuity between waking life and dreams of psychiatric patients A review and discussion of the implications for dream research University Library Heidelberg 2014
- Nightmares: Under-Reported, Undetected, and Therefore Untreated. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine July 15, 2015
- Reliability and stability of lucid dream and nightmare frequency scales October 16, 2013
and 5 more in the library