Seeking help for nightmares: Associated personality factors.
Journal of Sleep Research June 21, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13972 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional population survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,108 |
| Population | Adults from a population sample, 712 women and 396 men, mean age 50.55 ± 14.22 years |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Humans Personality Dreams Adult Middle aged Female Surveys and questionnaires Help-seeking behavior Sensation seeking Neuroticism Agreeableness Harm avoidance Openness to experience Nightmare frequency Nightmare distress |
| Key findings | After controlling for nightmare frequency, people with high harm avoidance and high introversion were less likely to seek help for nightmares. Low education, low agreeableness, and low conscientiousness were associated with considering seeking professional help, which the authors suggest may indicate fear of stigmatization. The association between harm avoidance and considering help was stronger among those with frequent nightmares (weekly or more). |
Abstract
Research indicated that patients suffering from nightmares are often undertreated. One reason for this gap is that nightmare sufferers themselves often have not sought professional help for their nightmares, and-if they did-it was not very helpful. The current study aimed at studying trait factors (personality, harm avoidance) in relation to the persons considering seeking professional help. In a population-sample of 1108 persons (712 women, 396 men) with a mean age of 50.55 ± 14.22 years, it was also found that only some of the persons who have problems with nightmares even considered seeking professional help as an option. As expected and after controlling for effects of nightmare frequency, persons with high harm avoidance and high introversion were more likely not seeking help for their problems with nightmares. The associations with low education, low agreeableness and low conscientiousness with considering seeking professional help might point to the fear of stigmatisation in nightmare sufferers. Interestingly, the association between harm avoidance and "Considering seeking professional help" was even stronger in the subsample of frequent nightmare sufferers (once a week or more often). Future efforts should aim at findings new ways to offer adequate help for nightmares and increase the knowledge about nightmare treatment in healthcare professionals.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 583 |
| Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) | n = 8,558 |
| Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) | 2003 | Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling | n = 444 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 919 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Seeking help for nightmares in adolescents Somnologie: Schlafforschung und Schlafmedizin December 8, 2023
- Nightmare Coping Strategies and Their Association With Big Five Personality Traits Journal of Sleep Research June 9, 2026
- Behind closed eyes: Understanding nightmares in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder - A systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews January 14, 2025
Cites 13
- Prevalence of Nightmare Disorder in Psychiatric Outpatients Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2013
- Nightmare frequency in a representative German sample University Library Heidelberg 2013
- Nightmares: Knowledge and attitudes in health care providers and nightmare sufferers Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology July 31, 2014
- Seeking professional help for nightmares: a representative study The European Journal of Psychiatry December 1, 2013
- Umgang mit Alpträumen in der Allgemeinbevölkerung: Eine Online-Studie PPmP - Psychotherapie · Psychosomatik · Medizinische Psychologie October 18, 2013
and 8 more in the library