Insomnia symptoms, nightmares, and suicide risk: duration of sleep disturbance matters.
Michael R Nadorff, Sarra Nazem, Amy Fiske
Suicide & life-threatening behavior December 28, 2012 DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 660 |
| Population | Undergraduate students endorsing insomnia symptoms (n = 660) or nightmares (n = 312) |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Humans Risk assessment Cross-sectional studies Suicide Dreams Adolescent Mid-atlantic region Female Young adult Surveys and questionnaires Sleep wake disorders |
| Key findings | Longer duration of insomnia symptoms and of nightmares was each significantly associated with suicide risk, independent of current insomnia or nightmare severity and after controlling for anxiety, depressive, and posttraumatic symptoms. The authors suggest that duration of sleep disturbance is relevant when assessing suicide risk. |
Abstract
Duration of insomnia symptoms or nightmares was investigated to see if it was related to suicide risk independent of current insomnia symptoms, nightmares, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic symptoms. The cross-sectional study involved analyses of survey responses from undergraduate students who endorsed either insomnia symptoms (n = 660) or nightmares (n = 312). Both insomnia symptom and nightmare duration were significantly associated with suicide risk independent of current insomnia symptoms or nightmares, respectively. Relations were also significant after controlling for anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic symptoms. Results suggest that duration of sleep disturbance is relevant when assessing suicide risk.
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 23
- Nightmares share genetic risk factors with sleep and psychiatric traits Translational Psychiatry February 27, 2024
- Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Traumatized Us Collectively? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Sleep Factors via Traumatization: A Multinational Survey Nature and Science of Sleep August 1, 2022
- The mediation effects of nightmares and depression between insomnia and suicidal ideation in young adults Scientific Reports April 26, 2024
- Prevalence and Detailed Experience of Nightmare and Nightmare Disorder in Chinese University Students Sage Open April 1, 2021
- Nightmares share strong genetic risk with sleep and psychiatric disorders bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) November 9, 2019
and 18 more in the library