Autonomic Hyperarousal and Chronotype as Psychobiological Correlates of Nightmare-Relevant Dispositions
Individual Differences Research December 1, 2024 DOI: 10.65030/idr.22006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 110 |
| Population | Undergraduate participants |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Self-reported autonomic hyperarousal correlated with nightmare proneness, concretization, and nightmares, and uniquely predicted nightmare proneness and concretization after accounting for gender and neuroticism. Chronotype showed modest associations but no unique effects. Nightmare proneness was the only independent predictor of nightmares. |
Abstract
Nightmare vulnerability appears influenced by both dispositional and psychobiological factors, yet these are rarely examined together. This study tested whether autonomic hyperarousal and chronotype contribute to nightmare proneness, concretization, and distressing nightmares beyond neuroticism. Undergraduate participants (N = 110) completed measures of self-reported hyperarousal, chronotype, nightmare proneness, concretization, neuroticism, and nightmare frequency. Hyperarousal correlated with nightmare proneness, concretization, and nightmares, and uniquely predicted nightmare proneness and concretization after accounting for gender and neuroticism. Chronotype showed modest associations but no unique effects. Nightmare proneness was the only independent predictor of nightmares. Findings highlight autonomic hyperarousal as a broad correlate of nightmare-relevant dispositions, whereas chronotype played a weaker role in this sample.
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 |
| The prevalence of nightmares and their independence from anxiety. Undergraduates | 1990 | Observational study using daily dream logs | n = 220 |
Citations in the library
Cites 14
- Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives Journal of Sleep Research January 29, 2019
- Stability of nightmare frequency and its relation to neuroticism: A longitudinal study Journal of Sleep Research June 11, 2020
- The Nightmare Proneness Scale: A Proposed Measure for the Tendency to Experience Nightmares Sleep and Hypnosis August 14, 2017
- Proposed Cut Scores for the Nightmare Experience Scale (NExS) Among Nonclinical Samples: An Analog Study Individual Differences Research December 1, 2023
- Nightmare Proneness Predicts Nightmare Frequency Incrementally Over Neuroticism and Distress Sleep Science March 1, 2025
and 9 more in the library