0931 Are Certain Types of Trauma More Likely to Create Nightmares?
Westley Atrayeau Youngren, Christina S. Khou, Lauren E. Boddy, Eliza Hemmer, Nancy Hamilton
Sleep April 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsy061.930 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,089 |
| Population | First-year college students |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Posttrauma nightmares were common among first-year college students, occurring more often in females and shortly after trauma. Non-sexual physical and sexual traumas predicted nightmares multiple times per month, while only sexual traumas predicted nightmares multiple times per week. The authors argue female sexual assault survivors may be at increased risk and that colleges should offer accessible accommodations for post-assault nightmares. |
Abstract
Although nightmares are common among trauma survivors, the posttrauma nightmare remains enigmatic and under-researched. For example, research has yet to examine if certain types of traumas may be more likely to create nightmares, which is this project’s primary question. Additionally, this project examined prevalence rates, gender differences, and the lifespans of posttrauma nightmares. First-year college students completed an online survey that assessed traumas and posttrauma nightmares. Traumas assessed consisted of non-sexual physical traumas, sexual traumas, directly witnessing harm to another, transportation accidents, and natural disasters. Frequency analyses, chi-square analyses, and analyses of variance were conducted. Out of our sample (N = 1089), 73.3% (n = 798) reported experiencing a trauma, 15.5% (n = 168) reported experiencing posttrauma nightmares multiple times per month (MTPM; males = 42, females = 126; p < .001), and 4.4% (n = 48) reported experiencing nightmares multiple times per week (MTPW; males = 12, females = 36; p = .06). Time since trauma significantly predicted the occurrence of nightmares multiple times per month (B = -.03, p < .01) and week (B = -.01, p < .001). Only, non-sexual physical traumas (B = 1.78, p < 0.001) and sexual traumas (B = 1.13, p < 0.001) predicted the occurrence of nightmares MTPM (X2 (5, N = 1089) = 59.69, p <.001). Only, sexual traumas (B = 0.84, p < 0.01) predicted the occurrence of nightmares MTPW (X2 (5, N = 1089) = 16.35, p <.01). These results show that posttrauma nightmares are common among college students, occur more frequently in females, are more likely to occur shortly after the traumatic experience, and are more likely to occur from physical (specifically sexual) traumas. This aligns with recent research which postulated that females are more susceptible to developing sleep disorders. Given these results, female sexual assault survivors may be at increased risk for experiencing nightmares. Future research should focus on female sexual assault survivors experiencing nightmares. Furthermore, colleges should begin to provide accessible accommodations for post-assault symptoms, specifically nightmares. N/A.
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 |