Nightmare Disorder, Psychopathology Levels, and Coping in a Diverse Psychiatric Sample.
Annette van Schagen, Jaap Lancee, Marijke Swart, Victor I. Spoormaker, Jan Van den Bout
Journal of Clinical Psychology January 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22315 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAmong 498 patients with diverse moderate-to-severe psychiatric disorders, those who also had nightmare disorder showed higher levels of psychopathology and personality pathology than those without nightmare disorder, with small effect sizes. No significant differences were found in coping strategies between the two groups. The findings suggest that nightmare disorder is linked to greater symptom severity in psychiatric patients.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 498 |
| Population | Patients with diverse moderate to severe psychiatric disorders |
| Key finding | Nightmare disorder is associated with higher levels of psychopathology and personality pathology in a sample of patients with diverse psychiatric disorders. |
Abstract
Nightmares are associated with psychopathology and impaired coping in the general population. However, little is known about this association in a psychiatric population. In this study, we investigate whether patients with diverse psychiatric disorders have increased symptomatology and different coping styles if they suffer from comorbid nightmare disorder. Participants were 498 patients with diverse moderate to severe psychiatric disorders. As part of a standard assessment procedure, they filled out questionnaires regarding nightmares, psychopathology, personality pathology, and coping. A multivariate analysis of covariance and post hoc tests showed that patients with nightmare disorder scored higher on psychopathology (ηp2 = .03; p = .001) and personality pathology (ηp2 = .01-.03; p < .05). No significant differences were found with regards to coping strategies. Nightmare disorder is associated with higher levels of psychopathology and personality pathology in a sample of patients with diverse psychiatric disorders.