Prevalence and correlates of disturbed dreaming in children.
Aline Gauchat, Jean R Séguin, Antonio Zadra
Pathologie-biologie October 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.patbio.2014.05.016 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Children |
| Intervention | imagery rehearsal therapy |
| Topics | Anxiety Dreaming |
| Keywords | Anxiété Bad dreams Cauchemars Children Enfants Mauvais rêves Nightmares Traitement Treatment |
| Key findings | Nightmares affect a significant proportion of children of all ages, with nightmare frequency possibly peaking around age 10 and gender differences emerging between ages 10 and 15. |
Abstract
Relatively little is known about nightmares and other forms of disturbed dreaming in children. This article reviews the literature on the prevalence and correlates of nightmares in children and highlights key methodological issues in the field. Results show that regardless of how they are defined and measured, nightmares affect a significant proportion of children of all ages and there is some evidence to suggest that nightmare frequency may peak around the age of 10. Gender differences in nightmare frequency, with girls reporting more nightmares than do boys, tend to appear between the ages of 10 and 15. Although nightmares are associated with a range of psychosocial difficulties (e.g., stress, behavioural problems), elevated anxiety and concomitant sleep-related disorders (e.g., sleepwalking) are among the most robust correlates of nightmares. Very few studies have examined nightmare treatment in children, but promising results have been obtained with imagery rehearsal therapy. Overall, research in the field has been hampered by inconsistent definitions for nightmares, by extensive variability in questionnaire items used to measure nightmare frequency, and by a lack of awareness of how using parents versus children as respondents may impact results. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand how nightmares and their correlates evolve during childhood and adolescence, to delineate their clinical significance, and to develop effective and age-appropriate treatment strategies.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming | 2019 | Review | |
| Sleep and dreaming are for important matters | 2013 | Review | |
| Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis | 2020 | Review | |
| My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? | 2019 | Review | |
| Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors | 1996 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Nightmares share genetic risk factors with sleep and psychiatric traits Translational Psychiatry February 27, 2024
- The “Dream Changer”: a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a parent-based intervention for childhood nightmares Sleep February 18, 2022
- Nightmares share strong genetic risk with sleep and psychiatric disorders bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) November 9, 2019
- Dreaming conundrum Journal of Sleep Research October 3, 2024
- Haunted by Nightmares: Factors Associated with Nightmare Frequency and Experiences Psychology 2025
and 8 more in the library
Cites 15
- Thematic and content analysis of idiopathic nightmares and bad dreams. Sleep February 1, 2014
- Nightmare frequency, nightmare distress, and psychopathology in female victims of childhood maltreatment. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease September 1, 2013
- Long-term effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural self-help intervention for nightmares. Journal of Sleep Research September 1, 2011
- Gender differences in nightmare frequency: a meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews April 1, 2011
- The relative contribution of affect load and affect distress as predictors of disturbed dreaming. Behavioral Sleep Medicine 2011
and 10 more in the library