Sleep Paralysis Among Egyptian College Students: Association With Anxiety Symptoms (PTSD, Trait Anxiety, Pathological Worry).

Among 100 Egyptian college students in Cairo, 43% reported at least one lifetime episode of sleep paralysis (SP), and 24% of those had four or more episodes in the previous year. Women accounted for 86% of SP experiences, men for 14%. Compared to those without SP, participants who experienced it reported higher symptoms of PTSD, trait anxiety, and pathological worry. Hallucinations during SP were strongly linked to PTSD and trait anxiety symptoms, even after controlling for negative affect.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Among Egyptian college students in Cairo (n = 100), this study examined the relationship between sleep paralysis (SP) and anxiety symptoms, viz., posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trait anxiety, and pathological worry. SP rates were high; 43% of participants reported at least one lifetime episode of SP, and 24% of those who reported at least one lifetime episode had experienced four or more episodes during the previous year. Fourteen percent of men had experienced SP as compared to 86% of women. As hypothesized, relative to non-SP experiencers, participants who had SP reported higher symptoms of PTSD, trait anxiety, and pathological worry. Also, as hypothesized, the experiencing of hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations during SP, even after controlling for negative affect, was highly correlated with symptoms of PTSD and trait anxiety. The study also investigated possible mechanisms by examining the relationship of hallucinations to anxiety variables.