Prevalence and Detailed Experience of Nightmare and Nightmare Disorder in Chinese University Students

Among 1,451 students at a Chinese university, 63.61% reported having nightmares in the past year, and 4.69% were diagnosed with nightmare disorder, with a higher prevalence in women. Patients with nightmare disorder scored higher on measures of nightmare experience and depressive mood than healthy students. Depression scores correlated with physical effects of nightmares in patients and with negative emotions in healthy students. These findings highlight the prevalence and impact of nightmare disorder in university populations.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Nightmares influence the mental health of university students, but the prevalence of nightmare and nightmare disorder requires additional documentation. The data of detailed nightmare experience of nightmare disorder and related depressive mood in this population are also scarce. First, a total of 1,451 students in a comprehensive Chinese university were invited to report their nightmare frequency. Sixty-eight patients with nightmare disorder were diagnosed using a semi-structured clinical interview according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Second, 60 patients with nightmare disorder (8 of 68 patients were dismissed due to data incompletion) and 124 gender-matched, healthy students were invited to answer the Nightmare Experience Questionnaire (NEQ) and the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP). Of 1,451 students, 923 reported nightmares (its annual prevalence was 63.61%), and 68 were diagnosed with nightmare disorder (its prevalence was 4.69%), with a female preponderance. The mean PVP and four NEQ scale scores in patients were higher than those in healthy students. The PVP scores were correlated with NEQ Physical Effect in patients, and with Negative Emotion in healthy students. This is the first report regarding nightmare disorder prevalence and detailed nightmare experience in university students. The findings of a high prevalence of nightmare disorder in women and elevated scores of nightmare experience among patients in the university population might help address the mechanisms and the management of patients with nightmare disorder.