Psychological and sociological characteristics of students suffering from nightmares
R. K. Kostin, I. A. Rozhnov, E. A. Korabelnikova, Irina I. Yakushina
Medical alphabet January 11, 2023 DOI: 10.33667/2078-5631-2022-32-25-30 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Medical students in years 1-6 at five medical universities |
| Measures | Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Hamburg Nightmare Questionnaire, Insomnia Severity Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Beck Anxiety and Depression Scale |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Nightmares and insomnia were highly prevalent among medical students. Frequent nightmares were associated with higher anxiety and depression, poorer sleep quality and more sleep impairment, and lower academic performance as measured by grade-point average. |
Abstract
Aim. To assess the impact of nightmarish dreams on various aspects of medical students' lives. Materials and methods. A sociological survey was conducted among students of 1–6 courses of five medical universities using an online form which included the following questionnaires: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Hamburg Nightmare Questionnaire, the Insomnia Severity Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Beck Anxiety and Depression Scale. Academic performance was assessed according to the average score of the student's record book according to a 5-point system. Results and conclusions. A high prevalence of both insomnia and nightmares among medical students was found. The high frequency of nightmares was associated with high levels of anxiety and depression. The frequency of nightmares was associated with deterioration of sleep quality, frequency and degree of sleep impairment. Nightmarish dreams had a negative impact on the quality of cognitive activity assessed by academic performance.
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
Cites 7
- Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Sleep 2011
- Nightmares affect the experience of sleep quality but not sleep architecture: an ambulatory polysomnographic study Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation February 12, 2015
- Emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between nightmares and psychotic experiences: results from a student population Schizophrenia June 1, 2020
- Psychometric evaluation of the Hamburg Nightmare Questionnaire (HNQ). European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2019
- What physicians need to know about dreams and dreaming. Current opinion in pulmonary medicine November 1, 2012
and 2 more in the library