Dream content and daytime attitudes in anxious and calm women.
M L Gentil, M Lader
Psychological Medicine May 1, 1978 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291700014343 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Female anxious neurotic patients and normal female volunteers |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Aggression towards the dreamer was more common in anxious patients, and dream content correlated with daytime attitudes across all groups, consistent with the continuity hypothesis. |
Abstract
Twenty female anxious neurotic patients were compared with 25 normal female volunteers, divided into a low anxious normal and a high anxious group, with respect to dream report content. Dream reports were analysed using an objective and reliable method and were correlated with the day-time attitudes of the subjects measured by Semantic Differential techniques. Anxiety levels influenced both dream reporting and dream content. In particular, aggression towards the dreamer was more common in the anxious patients. Significant correlations were found in all groups between dream content and daytime attitudes. The results were consistent with the 'continuity' hypothesis of dream function.
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 |
| The prevalence of nightmares and their independence from anxiety. Undergraduates | 1990 | Observational study using daily dream logs | n = 220 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Dream Recall, Nightmare Frequency, and Nocturnal Panic Attacks in Patients with Panic Disorder The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease August 1, 2001
- Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part II: State Factors, Investigations and Final Conclusions Imagination, Cognition and Personality March 1, 1997
- Continuity between waking life and dreams of psychiatric patients A review and discussion of the implications for dream research University Library Heidelberg 2014
- Dream recall and visual memory. Perceptual and Motor Skills August 1, 1995
Cites 4
- Analysis of dream contents by scaled and rated measurements Psychological Medicine May 1, 1977
- Dreams and Dementia: A Laboratory Exploration of Dream Recall and Dream Content in Chronic Brain Syndrome Patients The International Journal of Aging and Human Development May 1, 1975
- Aspects of Inner Experience: Autokinesis, Daydreaming, Dream Recall and Cognitive Style Perceptual and Motor Skills April 1, 1973
- Presleep Determinants of Dream Content: Effects of Two Films Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 1964