Effect of exposure to terrorism on sleep-related experiences in Israeli young adults.
Nirit Soffer-Dudek, Golan Shahar
Psychiatry 2010 DOI: 10.1521/psyc.2010.73.3.264 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 91 |
| Population | Participants from a larger study conducted three years earlier, in Israel |
| Duration | One week after operation Oferet Yetzuka |
| Key findings | General sleep experiences were positively correlated with media exposure to terror, mediated by psychopathological symptoms, but negatively correlated with physical exposure to terror. |
Abstract
General sleep-related experiences (Watson, 2001), including special dream states such as elevated dream recall, nightmares, hypnagogic hallucinations, flying dreams, and waking dreams, have been shown to be associated with life stress and psychopathological distress (Soffer-Dudek & Shahar, 2009). In this study, we attempted to examine these associations within the context of terror-related stress. In the week following operation Oferet Yetzuka in Israel, ninety-one participants filled out questionnaires concerning sleep experiences, psychopathological distress, and degree of exposure to terror. These participants were part of a larger study conducted three years earlier (Soffer-Dudek & Shahar, 2009). General sleep experiences (GSEs) were positively correlated to exposure to terror through media, a link that was mediated through psychopathological symptoms. Surprisingly, GSEs were negatively correlated with physical exposure variables. We suggest that GSEs may be related to a ruminative coping style (i.e., not "letting go," both by day and by night).