Role of severe psychopathology in sleep-related experiences: A pilot study.

Abstract

The construct General Sleep-related Experiences (GSEs, such as elevated dream recall, vivid or bizarre dreams, flying dreams, hypnagogic hallucinations, nightmares, and recurrent dreams) has been previously linked to various forms of psychopathology in nonclinical populations. The aim of this pilot study was to explore this relationship in the context of severe psychopathology. Nineteen outpatients of a mental health clinic were compared to 26 controls on sleep experiences, psychopathology, sleep quality, life stress, and transliminality. Outpatients also reported illness intrusiveness levels. As expected, the outpatient group had elevated GSEs. Within the outpatient group, illness intrusiveness, stress, and transliminality were correlated with GSEs. These findings elucidate the association between GSEs and distress in the context of severe psychopathology.

Dream Recall Frequency and Unusual Dream Experiences in Early Adolescence: Longitudinal Links to Behavior Problems

“…Our findings do not support the “dreams as coping” hypothesis, as an increase in EUD predicted an increase in behavior problems, and not a decrease . However, it is important to note that, while this study does not support the hypothesis that dreams predict positive outcomes, we did not assess lucid dreams, which constitute a separate factor [Watson, ] and might in fact be positive or related to coping; Soffer‐Dudek & Shahar, ; Soffer‐Dudek et al., ). The finding whereby an increase in internalizing problems predicted an increase in dream variables over time replicates and extends findings on general sleep‐related experiences conducted on adult samples that found an elevation in unusual dreaming patterns following psychopathological distress (e.g., Soffer‐Dudek & Shahar, ).…”

“…Enhanced and unusual dream phenomena such as elevated dream recall, nightmares, recurrent dreams, flying dreams, and problem‐solving dreams, comprise a single psychological construct labeled general sleep‐related experiences (Watson, ). This construct was related to general psychopathological distress (including various scales such as depression, hostility, somatization, obsessive‐compulsive symptoms, and psychoticism) in a nonclinical undergraduate sample (Soffer‐Dudek & Shahar, ) and was elevated in a clinical outpatient population compared with controls (Soffer‐Dudek, Shalev et al., ). Within the afore‐mentioned outpatient sample, it was related to the degree that individuals felt that their mental illness disrupted their lives.…”

“…Watson found this general dream dimension based on factor analyzing over 900 student dream questionnaires. This general construct is related to psychopathology both in nonclinical and in outpatient populations (e.g., Soffer‐Dudek & Shahar, ; Soffer‐Dudek, Shalev, Shiber, & Shahar, ). However, despite the importance of early adolescence as a period of risk of developing psychopathology, we failed to find any study treating various unique dream experiences as a single unified factor on any nonadult sample.…”

Arousal in Nocturnal Consciousness: How Dream- and Sleep-Experiences May Inform Us of Poor Sleep Quality, Stress, and Psychopathology

“…GSEs (but not LDs) have repeatedly been associated with negative emotionality, stress, and psychopathological symptoms. Notably, studies that explored relationships of psychopathology with individual ISES items (e.g., Watson, 2001 ; Soffer-Dudek et al, 2011a ) found relations with most items, suggesting that the relation of GSEs with psychopathology does not stem specifically from the nightmare item or any other single item. Table 1 reviews research that examines the relationship between GSEs (as measures with the ISES) along with measure(s) of negative emotion, stress, or psychopathological symptoms 1 .…”

Lucid Dreaming: Intensity, But Not Frequency, Is Inversely Related to Psychopathology

“…Similarly, conflicting findings have emerged regarding psychotic tendencies and LD. On one hand, LD was not associated ( Knox and Lynn, 2014 ) or only weakly correlated ( Watson, 2001 ) with schizotypy; and schizophrenic and manic patients did not have elevated LD ( Soffer-Dudek et al, 2011a ). Moreover, there may be an inverse link of LD with psychosis, as cortical areas activated during LD overlap with brain regions that are impaired in psychotic patients ( Dresler et al, 2015 ).…”