Comparative prevalence of isolated sleep paralysis in Kuwaiti, Sudanese, and American college students.
Abdelwahid Awadalla, Ghenaim Al-Fayez, Michael Harville, Hiroko Arikawa, Marie E Tomeo, Donald I Templer, Rocky Underwood
Psychological Reports August 1, 2004 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.95.1.317-322 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,938 |
| Population | College students in Kuwait, Sudan, and the United States |
| Keywords | Humans Sleep paralysis Incidence Cross-sectional studies Cross-cultural comparison Developing countries Students Adolescent Adult Sudan United states Kuwait Female Surveys and questionnaires |
| Key findings | Using the item "unable to move," 28.8% of Kuwaiti, 29.9% of Sudanese, and 24.5% of American college students reported isolated sleep paralysis at least once; with the additional criterion of "pressure to the chest," rates were 19.2%, 20.7%, and 11.4%. Kuwaiti and Sudanese students showed significantly higher prevalence than American students under both criteria, but did not differ significantly from each other. |
Abstract
A questionnaire measuring the incidence of isolated sleep paralysis was administered to 527 Kuwaiti, 762 Sudanese, and 649 American college students in what was the first study assessing the prevalence of isolated sleep paralysis in two Middle Eastern countries. Using the item "unable to move," 28.8% of Kuwaiti, 29.9% of Sudanese, and 24.5% of American participants reported experiencing the disorder at least once. When a second item, "pressure to the chest," was also used, the respective percentages were 19.2%, 20.7%, and 11.4%. With both criteria, the Kuwaiti and Sudanese had a significantly greater prevalence than did the American students. The Kuwaiti and Sudanese students did not differ significantly from each other in the percentage who reported the symptoms.
Citations in the library
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- Risk factors of sleep paralysis in a population of Polish students. BMC Psychiatry June 7, 2022
- [Prevalence and phenomenology of sleep paralysis in medical students]. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova 2026
- The prevalence of sleep paralysis in medical students in Buenos Aires, Argentina Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice March 3, 2023
- Prevalence and Clinical Picture of Sleep Paralysis in a Polish Student Sample. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health May 18, 2020
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