Sensed presence as a correlate of sleep paralysis distress, social anxiety and waking state social imagery.
Elizaveta Solomonova, Tore Nielsen, Philippe Stenstrom, Valérie Simard, Elena Frantova, Don C Donderi
Consciousness and Cognition June 15, 2007 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2007.04.007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 193 |
| Population | Respondents to an internet questionnaire |
| Measures | Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale, ISP distress measure, social imagery questionnaire subscale |
| Topics | Depression Anxiety |
| Keywords | Humans Hallucinations Parasomnias Sleep paralysis Prevalence Cross-sectional studies Stress, psychological Imagination Dreams Social perception Mental disorders Phobic disorders Comorbidity Adolescent Adult Middle aged Female |
| Key findings | ISP experiences were only weakly associated with a prior diagnosis of mental disorder; sensed presence during ISP was associated preferentially with ISP distress; and ISP distress was associated with dysfunctional social imagery. The authors propose that a general predisposition to affective distress may influence distress during ISP experiences, with overly passive social imagery possibly implicated. |
Abstract
Isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) is a common parasomnia characterized by an inability to move or speak and often accompanied by hallucinations of a sensed presence nearby. Recent research has linked ISP, and sensed presence more particularly, with social anxiety and other psychopathologies. The present study used a large sample of respondents to an internet questionnaire (N=193) to test whether these associations are due to a general personality factor, affect distress, which is implicated in nightmare suffering and hypothesized to involve dysfunctional social imagery processes. A new measure, ISP distress, was examined in relation to features of ISP experiences, to self-reported psychopathological diagnosis, to scores on the Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale and to scores on a new questionnaire subscale assessing social imagery in a variety of waking states. Three main results were found: (1) ISP experiences are only weakly associated with a prior diagnosis of mental disorder, (2) sensed presence during ISP is associated preferentially with ISP distress, and (3) ISP distress is associated with dysfunctional social imagery. A general predisposition to affective distress may influence the distress associated with ISP experiences; overly passive social imagery may, in turn, be implicated in this affect distress influence.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
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|---|---|---|---|
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| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| The Role of Mindfulness and Psychological Flexibility in Somatization, Depression, Anxiety, and General Psychological Distress in a Nonclinical College Sample Ethnically diverse, nonclinical sample of college undergraduates (76% female) | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 494 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 22
- Dreaming as mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- A systematic review of variables associated with sleep paralysis Sleep Medicine Reviews June 8, 2017
- The body unbound: Vestibular–motor hallucinations and out-of-body experiences Cortex June 6, 2008
- The neuropharmacology of sleep paralysis hallucinations: serotonin 2A activation and a novel therapeutic drug Psychopharmacology October 4, 2018
- Prevalence Rates of the Incubus Phenomenon: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Frontiers in Psychiatry November 23, 2017
and 17 more in the library
Cites 23
- The Out-of-Body Experience: Disturbed Self-Processing at the Temporo-Parietal Junction The Neuroscientist January 4, 2005
- Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Sleep 2002
- The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Journal of Sleep Research May 26, 2004
- Sensed presence and mystical experiences are predicted by suggestibility, not by the application of transcranial weak complex magnetic fields Neuroscience Letters December 10, 2004
- The Structure of Laboratory Dream Reports in Blind and Sighted Subjects The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease May 1, 1982
and 18 more in the library