Nightmare frequency in last trimester of pregnancy.
Michael Schredl, Maria Gilles, Isabell Wolf, Verena Peus, Barbara Scharnholz, Marc Sütterlin, Michael Deuschle
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth November 9, 2016 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-016-1147-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 406 |
| Population | Pregnant women aged 16-40 in their last trimester |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Nightmares Pregnancy Stress |
| Key findings | Pregnant women report nightmares more often than a representative sample, and nightmare frequency is closely related to subjectively experienced daytime stress. |
Abstract
Pregnancy-related dreams are often found in pregnant women but also the number of negatively toned dreams seems to be increased in this challenging phase of a woman's life. Nightmare frequency and subjectively experienced stress was elicited via questionnaires. The mothers-to-be were approached during their application visit about 4-8 weeks prior to delivery in three obstetric hospitals. The present analysis included 406 women aged 16-40 years in the last trimester of their pregnancy. Women with severe somatic illnesses and/or psychiatric disorders were excluded. The representative sample included 496 women (age range: 14-93 years.). The findings clearly indicate that pregnant women report nightmares more often compared to a representative sample and that nightmare frequency is closely related to subjectively experienced stress during daytime. Moreover, baby-related dreams were correlated with nightmare frequency but not with day-time stress. Future studies should investigate the prevalence of nightmare disorders in pregnancy and study whether brief interventions like Imagery Rehearsal Therapy are beneficial for pregnant women suffering from nightmares.