Explaining the gender difference in nightmare frequency.
The American Journal of Psychology 2014 DOI: 10.5406/amerjpsyc.127.2.0205 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Unselected student sample |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Neuroticism and overall dream recall frequency mediate the gender difference in nightmare frequency. |
Abstract
A recent meta-analysis showed a robust gender difference in nightmare frequency of medium effect size in adolescents and young adults: Women tend to report nightmares more frequently than men. The present study, carried out in an unselected student sample, indicates that 2 factors mediate the gender difference in nightmare frequency: neuroticism and overall dream recall frequency. The effect of neuroticism on the gender difference and the finding that the gender difference in nightmare frequency emerges at an age of about 10 years suggest that gender-specific socialization processes may play an important role in explaining the gender differences in nightmare frequency in adolescents and young to middle-aged adults. This idea is supported by the previous finding that nightmare frequency is related to sex role orientation. However, longitudinal studies are necessary to validate these hypotheses.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 583 |
| Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) | n = 8,558 |
| Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) | 2003 | Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling | n = 444 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 919 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Haunted by Nightmares: Factors Associated with Nightmare Frequency and Experiences Psychology 2025
- Prevalence of different parasomnias in the general Norwegian population, and their association with insomnia, anxiety, and depression. A cross-sectional web-panel survey Frontiers in Sleep April 23, 2026
- Dreaming, insomnia, and choreographic creativity of young female dancers: a cross-sectional preliminary study Creativity Studies May 12, 2025
- Measurement of Nightmare Experience, and its Application in Research and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders Journal of Psychiatry 2017
- The evolution of sex differences in competitive and social dream content. Hormones and Behavior March 9, 2026
and 5 more in the library
Cites 9
- Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Sleep 2002
- Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Journal of Sleep Research May 12, 2003
- Measuring nightmare and bad dream frequency: impact of retrospective and prospective instruments Journal of Sleep Research May 13, 2008
- Dream content and personality: Thick vs. Thin boundaries. Dreaming December 1, 1999
- Nightmare frequency in patients with primary insomnia heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2009
and 4 more in the library