Alexithymia and impoverished dream recall in asthmatic patients: evidence from self-report measures.
Tore Nielsen, L Ouellet, H Warnes, A Cartier, J L Malo, J Montplaisir
Journal of Psychosomatic Research January 1997 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(96)00230-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 76 |
| Population | Adult asthmatics from an outpatient clinic (33 men, 43 women) |
| Measures | Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, questionnaire concerning retrospective recall of dreams and nightmares |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Among male asthmatics, dream recall was negatively related to alexithymia, especially the Toronto Alexithymia Scale analytical mode of thinking subscale, independent of age and neuroticism. Among female asthmatics, dream and nightmare recall were positively correlated with neuroticism. The authors suggest dream recall may be differentially associated with alexithymia components by sex. |
Abstract
Early clinical impressions that alexithymia is associated with diminished dream recall have been supported by more recent research. The present study was designed to examine this association using self-report measures and a carefully screened clinical population. Thirty-three male and 43 female asthmatics from an outpatient clinic were administered the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and a questionnaire concerning retrospective recall of dreams and nightmares. Multiple regression analyses revealed that, among men, dream recall was negatively related to alexithymia, especially to the TAS analytical mode of thinking subscale, independent of age and neuroticism. Among women, dream and nightmare recall were positively correlated with neuroticism. These results are consistent with early clinical observations of pensée opératoire, with some research findings, and with the notion that dream recall may be differentially associated with components of alexithymia in men and women patients.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives Frontiers in Psychology 2011
- Dreaming correlates of alexithymia among sleep-disordered patients. Dreaming March 1, 2011
- Alexithymia associated with nightmare distress in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder. Sleep December 1, 2013
- Dream research in schizophrenia: methodological issues and a dimensional approach. Consciousness and Cognition December 1, 2011
- Clinical importance of nightmare disorder in patients with dissociative disorders Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences December 1, 2003
and 4 more in the library