Nightmare disorder, dream anxiety, and subjective sleep quality in patients with borderline personality disorder.
Umit B Semiz, Cengiz Basoglu, Servet Ebrinc, Mesut Çetin
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences February 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2007.01789.x (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractBorderline personality disorder (BPD) patients experience significantly more nightmares, higher dream anxiety, and worse subjective sleep quality than healthy controls. Among BPD patients, greater dream anxiety is linked to more childhood trauma, dissociative symptoms, and impaired sleep. Those with nightmare disorder show a more severe clinical profile. The findings suggest that addressing dream and sleep disturbances in BPD could improve overall clinical outcomes.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 188 |
| Population | Borderline personality disorder patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls |
| Key finding | BPD patients have significantly higher rates of nightmare disorder, dream anxiety, and poor sleep quality compared to controls, with dream anxiety correlated with childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms. |
Abstract
The aims of the present study were to examine the rate of nightmare disorder (ND) and to determine the levels of dream anxiety and subjective sleep quality in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Another aim was to determine whether dream anxiety was associated with childhood trauma, dissociative experiences, and subjective sleep disturbance in BPD patients. Finally, the hypothesis as to whether BPD patients with ND exhibited a more severe clinical profile than those without ND, was also tested. A total of 88 borderline patients and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, Van Dream Anxiety Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Dissociative Experiences Scale, and Traumatic Experiences Checklist. Subjects with codiagnoses that could affect sleep were not included. BPD patients suffered a significantly greater rate of nightmares, elevated levels of dream anxiety, and disturbed sleep quality than did controls. In the borderline group, heightened dream anxiety was correlated with higher rates of early traumatic experiences and dissociative symptoms, and impaired sleep quality. Furthermore, borderline patients with ND exhibited greater psychopathology as compared to those without ND in terms of several clinical characteristics. The present study provides support for a strong association between BPD, distressing nightmares, and subjective sleep quality. Recognition and management of dream and sleep disturbances in BPD patients might lead to improvements in their global clinical picture.