Perinatal loss, trauma, and dream reports.
Jerry Kroth, Marylynne Garcia, Michelle Hallgren, Emilyann LeGrue, Maureen Ross, Juliana Scalise
Psychological Reports June 1, 2004 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.94.3.877-882 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study (cross-sectional survey) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 37 |
| Population | Women who had experienced perinatal loss, randomly selected from a perinatal support group |
| Measures | Impact of Event Scale (IES), Perinatal Grief Scale, KJP Dream Inventory |
| Keywords | Humans Death Bereavement Dreams Stress disorders, post-traumatic Social support Adult Infant, newborn Female Surveys and questionnaires |
| Key findings | Higher trauma scores correlated with greater emotional pain, despair, and dreams of death, and with fewer dreams of water and of being famous. Greater social support and emotional expressiveness were associated with lower trauma and despair scores and more color dreaming. The authors propose that dreams may play a role in grief recovery. |
Abstract
This study investigated correlations among dream characteristics and measures of trauma and perinatal bereavement as reported by women who have experienced perinatal loss. 37 women who had experienced perinatal loss were randomly selected from a perinatal support group and administered the Impact of Event Scale, the Perinatal Grief Scale, and the KJP Dream Inventory. Scores on the Impact of Events Scale (IES) correlated with Emotional Pain (.41), Despair (.37), Dreams of Death (.31), Dreams of Water (-.29), and Dreams of Being Famous (-.36). Subjects who reported higher Social Support and Emotional Expressiveness throughout their trauma showed lower scores on IES Total scores (-.52), Despair (-.62), and reported dreaming more in color (.41). Results are discussed in terms of the hypothesized role dreams may play in the grief-recovery process.