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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1787532
Short Communications

Nightmare Proneness Predicts Nightmare Frequency Incrementally Over Neuroticism and Distress

William E. Kelly 
1   Department of Psychology, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, United States
,
Richard C. Zamora
2   Department of Psychology, Mount St. Mary's University, Los Angeles, California, United States
,
Soeun Park
3   Department of Psychology, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, California, United States
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Introduction Previous research found that nightmare proneness, a purported disposition to experience frequent nightmares, accounted for nightmare frequency independent of neuroticism and distress. However, these findings may have been the result of reduced reliability and content validity of the measures. The current study aimed to replicate these findings using established, lengthier measures of neuroticism and distress.

Materials and Methods In the present cross-sectional study, 230 university students completed measures of nightmare frequency, nightmare proneness, neuroticism, and distress.

Results Regression models found that nightmare proneness incrementally predicted nightmare frequency above neuroticism and distress. Additional analyses indicated that neuroticism and distress indirectly predicted nightmare frequency through nightmare proneness, whereas nightmare proneness was not associated with nightmares through neuroticism or distress.

Conclusion Nightmare proneness was statistically separable from neuroticism and distress. The results and suggestions for future research to better understand the nightmare proneness variable are discussed.

Keywords

nightmare Frequency - neuroticism - psychological distress - nightmare proneness


Publication History

Received: 22 September 2023

Accepted: 15 April 2024

Article published online:
05 June 2024

© 2024. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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