Insomnia, Nightmares, and Chronotype as Markers of Risk for Severe Mental Illness: Results from a Student Population.
Bryony Sheaves, Kate Porcheret, Athanasios Tsanas, Colin A Espie, Russell G Foster, Daniel Freeman, Paul J Harrison, Katharina Wulff, Guy M. Goodwin
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,403 |
| Population | Undergraduate and postgraduate students at one United Kingdom university (median age 21, interquartile range 20-23; 55.60% female) |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Dreaming |
| Keywords | Humans Jet lag syndrome Disease progression Disease susceptibility Risk Cross-sectional studies Dreams Sleep Mental disorders Bipolar disorder Paranoid disorders Students Universities Female Young adult Surveys and questionnaires United kingdom Cluster analysis Insomnia Nightmares Severe mental illness Chronotype Social jet lag |
| Key findings | Insomnia symptoms, nightmare frequency, and nightmare-related distress increased in a dose-response manner across low, medium, and high subsyndromal psychiatric symptom groups. The high-risk group had a later chronotype than the medium or low groups, 71.7% screened positive for insomnia, and median nightmare frequency was two per 14 days. The authors argue these sleep problems are treatable and might be targets for early intervention. |
Abstract
Study
Objectives: To group participants according to markers of risk for severe mental illness based on subsyndromal symptoms reported in early adulthood and evaluate attributes of sleep across these risk categories.
Methods: An online survey of sleep and psychiatric symptomatology (The Oxford Sleep Survey) was administered to students at one United Kingdom university. 1403 students (undergraduate and postgraduate) completed the survey. The median age was 21 (interquartile range = 20-23) and 55.60% were female. The cross-sectional data were used to cluster participants based on dimensional measures of psychiatric symptoms (hallucinations, paranoia, depression, anxiety, and (hypo)mania). High, medium, and low symptom groups were compared across sleep parameters: insomnia symptoms, nightmares, chronotype, and social jet lag.
Results: Insomnia symptoms, nightmares frequency, and nightmare-related distress increased in a dose-response manner with higher reported subsyndromal psychiatric symptoms (low, medium, and high). The high-risk group exhibited a later chronotype (mid sleep point for free days) than the medium- or low-risk group. The majority of participants (71.7%) in the high-risk group screened positive for insomnia and the median nightmare frequency was two per 14 days (moderately severe pathology).
Conclusions: Insomnia, nightmares, and circadian phase delay are associated with increased subsyndromal psychiatric symptoms in young people. Each is a treatable sleep disorder and might be a target for early intervention to modify the subsequent progression of psychiatric disorder.
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
Cited by 21
- Nightmares in the general population: identifying potential causal factors Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology July 15, 2017
- Emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between nightmares and psychotic experiences: results from a student population Schizophrenia June 1, 2020
- The Nightmare Proneness Scale: A Proposed Measure for the Tendency to Experience Nightmares Sleep and Hypnosis August 14, 2017
- Prevalence and Detailed Experience of Nightmare and Nightmare Disorder in Chinese University Students Sage Open April 1, 2021
- Sleep, Nightmares and Schizophrenia Journal of Sleep Disorders and Management November 3, 2017
and 16 more in the library
Cites 6
- Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Sleep 2002
- Measuring nightmare and bad dream frequency: impact of retrospective and prospective instruments Journal of Sleep Research May 13, 2008
- Nightmares in Patients with Psychosis: The Relation with Sleep, Psychotic, Affective, and Cognitive Symptoms The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry August 1, 2015
- Management of post-traumatic nightmares: a review of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments since 2010. Current Psychiatry Reports October 1, 2012
- A Meta-analysis of Imagery Rehearsal for Post-trauma Nightmares: Effects on Nightmare Frequency, Sleep Quality, and Posttraumatic Stress Clinical Psychology Review June 30, 2012
and 1 more in the library