The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on objective stress tolerance.

Hochard, KD, Heym, N ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2414-8854 and Townsend, E, 2016. The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on objective stress tolerance. Dreaming, 26 (1), pp. 42-49. ISSN 1053-0797

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Abstract

Frequent nightmares have been linked to daily distress using self-report measures. The present study investigated the impact of frequent nightmares on a stressful cognitive test requiring participants to perform additions of 2 previously displayed single digit numbers from a number series, where display latency between digits becomes increasingly short—the Paced Visual Serial Addition Task-Computerized (PVSAT-C). Participants experiencing frequent nightmares (n = 43) and controls (n = 42) were compared on PVSAT-C performance. A significant main effect of nightmare frequency was observed with participants in the frequent nightmare group enduring the task for a shorter duration than controls (a behavioral measure of stress tolerance). Results suggest that individuals experiencing frequent nightmares have a reduced tolerance for stressors, leading to increased daily vulnerability to stressful stimuli. This study confirms previous findings linking nightmares and daily distress and extends the literature by providing objective evidence for the link between nightmares and reduced stress tolerance through behavioral testing. These findings highlight nightmares as a salient target for clinical intervention.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Dreaming
Creators:	Hochard, K.D., Heym, N. and Townsend, E.
Publisher:	Educational Publishing Foundation
Date:	2016
Volume:	26
Number:	1
ISSN:	1053-0797
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1037/drm0000013 DOI 2016-13720-004 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	27 Oct 2016 07:41
Last Modified:	18 Oct 2017 15:34
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28958

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