The nature of posttraumatic nightmares and school functioning in war-affected youth
Gerlinde C. Harb, Jon‐Håkon Schultz
PLoS One November 25, 2020 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242414 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Treatment-seeking youths ages 12 to 16 in the Gaza Strip who have experienced three wars and ongoing conflict |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Distressing Feeling Intervention counseling Posttraumatic stress Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 27 |
| Key findings | Youths in the Gaza Strip with chronic nightmares show substantial posttraumatic sleep problems and associated impairment in school functioning. |
Abstract
Children and adolescents who have experienced traumatic events demonstrate a variety of posttraumatic symptoms, including recurrent nightmares, as well as adverse reactions in the school setting. The current study examined nightmare symptoms, posttraumatic stress, sleep disturbance, and self- and teacher-reported school functioning of 64 youths in the Gaza Strip, ages 12 to 16, who have lived through three wars and experience ongoing conflict and political insecurity. Students were treatment-seeking for sleep-problems and reported, on average, five nightmares per week for an average of three years, with concomitant disrupted sleep, fear of going to sleep, and not feeling rested in the morning. Both teachers and students reported that participants exhibited impaired academic functioning and daytime sleepiness. The content of the students' nightmares demonstrated frightening themes of being under attack and loss of self-efficacy/control; threat levels were high, and almost 60% included the threat of death. Approximately half of the nightmares included surreal elements in addition to more realistic scenes of violence. Participants in the study demonstrated substantial posttraumatic sleep problems with intensely distressing, frequent and chronic nightmares, andnightmare symptoms were associated with impairment in school functioning. Given the disruptive and distressing nature of these students' nightmare disturbance, we suggest that increasing self-efficacy in relation to the experience of recurrent nightmares may be a good point of intervention with these recurrently traumatized youth. Thus, increasing the understanding of students' nightmare symptoms may lead to ameliorating the suffering of youths in war zones and may have positive effects on their school functioning.
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 5
- Psychosocial treatments for nightmares in adults and children: a systematic review BMC Psychiatry April 21, 2023
- Prevalence and Characteristics of Posttraumatic Nightmares in War- and Conflict-Affected Students Nature and Science of Sleep March 1, 2021
- Treating war- and conflict-related nightmares in children and youth: outcomes of a school-based intervention Frontiers in Sleep January 8, 2026
- A path model of associations between war-related exposure to trauma, nightmares, fear, insomnia, and posttraumatic stress among Ukrainian students during the Russian invasion. Psychiatry Research October 2023
- A systematic review of Nightmare prevalence in children. Sleep Medicine Reviews October 1, 2023
Cites 7
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Nightmares and Sleep Disturbance in Iraq War Veterans: A Feasible and Promising Treatment Combination Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma July 23, 2009
- Randomized Controlled Trial of Imagery Rehearsal for Posttraumatic Nightmares in Combat Veterans. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine May 15, 2019
- Self-efficacy as a Mechanism of Action of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy's Effectiveness: An Exploratory Mediation Analysis. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease October 1, 2018
- A critical review of the evidence base of imagery rehearsal for posttraumatic nightmares: pointing the way for future research. Journal of Traumatic Stress September 30, 2013
- Combat-related PTSD nightmares and imagery rehearsal: nightmare characteristics and relation to treatment outcome. Journal of Traumatic Stress October 1, 2012
and 2 more in the library