Dream reports and marital satisfaction.
Jerry Kroth, Brad Roeder, Gerald Gonzales, Kim Tran, Kevin M. Orzech
Psychological Reports June 1, 2005 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.96.3.647-650 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 29 |
| Population | Married or cohabiting women enrolled in a graduate program in marital counseling |
| Measures | KJP Dream Inventory, Dyadic Adjustment Scale |
| Keywords | Humans Personal satisfaction Marriage Interpersonal relations Dreams Adult Female |
| Key findings | Among 29 married or cohabiting women in a graduate marital counseling program, better relationship quality was positively correlated with more frequent nightmares (r = .54), dissociative dreams (r = .52), and repetitive traumatic dreams (r = .45). The authors describe these as counterintuitive and suggest they may reflect fears and negative affect about losing or leaving a partner. |
Abstract
Dream reports of 29 married or cohabiting women, all from a graduate program in marital counseling, were given the KJP Dream Inventory and Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Significant positive correlations were found between overall relationship quality as measured by the total Dyadic Adjustment Scale scores with self-reported frequencies of nightmares (.54), dissociative dreams (.52), and repetitive, traumatic dreams (.45). In addition, Dyadic Adjustment Scale subscales of Consensus, Cohesion, and Satisfaction correlated positively with these same dream measures. In addition to these counterintuitive findings 90% of the respondents' qualitative dream reports corroborated these findings. Results are discussed with respect to fears and negative affect associated with losing or leaving one's intimate partner.