ABSTRACT
Starting from the idea that dreaming could be considered an index of the psychological health of individuals regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, a major risk of psychological maladjustment has been registered for maladaptive daydreamers (MDers;i.e., people with a compulsive fantasy activity associated with distress and psychological impairment). Nevertheless, there is a gap in literature about dreaming in MDers in general and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in dreaming and dream content between probable MDers and non-MDers during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. A total of 3,857 Italian adults (664 probable MDers), completed the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16) and the Mannheim Dream Questionnaire (MADRE). Among them, 1,095 participants (222 probable MDers) decided to recount their dreams, subsequently analysed through a cluster analysis performed by T-LAB software. Significantly higher levels of dream recall, emotional intensity of dreams, nightmare frequency, nightmare distress, recurring nightmares about daytime, lucid dreams, interest toward dreams, problem solving and creative dreams, and dreams affecting daytime mood emerged in probable MDers compared to non-MDers. No differences were observed in the emotional tone of dreams. From the quali-quantitative analysis of dream narratives, similar themes emerged in probable MDers and non-MDers, except for a cluster named Dreaming the loss of others, where the non-MDers variable is highly represented. Our results highlight some significant differences between probable MDers and non-MDers with respect to dreaming activity. The massive use of dream activity as an affective regulator emerges for both probable MDers and non-MDers during lockdown. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The psychological consequences of COVID-19 pandemic may include the activation of stress systems, that involve the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which influences many physiological functions, including sleep. Despite epidemiological studies evidenced greater prevalence of stress symptoms and sleep disturbances during COVID-19, longitudinal evidence investigating the effects of stress on sleep disturbances during the pandemic is lacking. We collected measures of perceived stress and sleep disturbances during the first wave of COVID-19 (March 2020) and at 8-10 months follow up in a sample of 648 adults (M = 33.52, SD = 12.98 years). Results showed that 39.4% of participants reported moderate to extremely severe stress in March 2020. Prevalence of sleep disturbances was 54.8% in March 2020 and 57.4% at follow-up. Structural equation modelling highlighted that perceived stress in March 2020 significantly predicted sleep disturbances at follow up (ß = 0.203; p < 0.001), even after controlling for baseline sleep disturbances. Results remained significant even after controlling for the effects of covariates including age, sex, depression and anxiety symptoms, and referring to psychological services (ß = 0.179; p < 0.05). Findings confirm the high prevalence of stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide first longitudinal evidence for the effects of perceived stress on sleep disturbances during the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictive measures taken against the spread of the contagion can be considered as traumatic events having a major impact on mental health. Dreams after undergoing traumatic experiences could "replay" traumatic scenes or have a para-therapeutic role that facilitates connections between a traumatic event and associated emotions. However, the studies carried out thus far in the field of sleep and dreams during the COVID-19 pandemic have mostly focused on sleep disorders, emotional tones, and contents of dreams. The aim of the present study was to explore, from a qualitative-quantitative perspective, the contents of dreams and the functions of dreaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 1,095 subjects who decide to recount their dreams, during the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, was involved. A part of the Mannheim Dream questionnaire was also examined, considering both dream recall and the attitudes toward the dreams-both meaningful and transformative-as indicators of the dreaming process. A cluster analysis was performed on dream narratives through the T-Lab software. In all, 4 thematic clusters emerged: Escape From the Threat;The Work of Mourning, Unrecalled Dreams;COVID-19: As Manifest Content. The factorial mapping organized 3 vectors of meaning, representative of the function of dreaming: Remembering, Repeating, and Working Through;From Traumatic Content to Problem-Solving Strategy;From the Safe-Guardian of Sleep to the Safe-Guardian of Dream Waking continuity. The dreaming process shows functions of integration and processing of memories but also that a decrease in dream recall can act as a defense and have a crucial role in mental life. Clinical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Recent literature shows that the Coronovirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has provoked significant changes in dreaming. The current study intends to provide an update about dream variable changes during the second wave of COVID-19. A total of 611 participants completed a web survey from December 2020 to January 2021. Statistical comparisons showed that subjects had lower dream-recall frequency, nightmare frequency, lucid-dream frequency, emotional intensity, and nightmare distress during the second than the first wave of the pandemic. Dreams had a higher negative tone during the second than first wave. We revealed significant differences concerning post-traumatic growth, sleep-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and sleep measures between groups obtained as a function of the changes in the oneiric frequency between the first and second waves. We also found significant correlations between qualitative/emotional dream features and COVID-19-related factors (job change, forced quarantine, having COVID-19 infected relatives/friends, or asking for mental health help). Overall, we found that the second wave affected fewer quantitative features of dream activity and there was less emotional intensity. Moreover, we confirmed the relationship between nightmares and the high risk of PTSD when subjects were grouped as a function of the increasing/decreasing frequency. Finally, our findings are partly coherent with the continuity hypothesis between oneiric and waking experiences.
ABSTRACT
This study aims to explore the emotional experiences related to the lockdown during the first pandemic wave, analysing the dreams of the Italian population. Through an online survey spread throughout the country, participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), the Resilience Scale (RS) and were asked to narrate a dream they had during the lockdown. The dreams were qualitatively analysed through the thematic content analysis. Logistic regression analyses were then conducted to verify the relationship among the categories that emerged and between these categories and the DASS-21 and RS scores. In the dreams 8 categories were identified (Places, Characters, Relationships, Actions, Danger, Death, Processes, and Emotions) composed of specific sub-categories, which seem to compose a sort of narrative structure of the dream. Some sub-categories were found to be predictor of depression and resilience or with exposure to COVID-19. Dreams can be a valid tool both to understand the experiences of the population during the pandemic and to evaluate those at risk of developing distress in clinical practice.
ABSTRACT
This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the impact of psychological distress experienced during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on emotional eating and to assess the mediating role of emotional dysregulation in a sample of Italian young adults (20-35). A total of 437 participants provided demographical data and were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Emotional Eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Correlational analyses were performed to assess the relationship between continuous variables, while ANOVA was conducted to detect differences between males and females for emotional eating. To assess whether demographic and clinical data predicted emotional eating, hierarchical linear regression was performed. Then, a mediation analysis was conducted to assess whether emotional dysregulation was a mediator between psychological distress and emotional eating. Emotional eating was associated with psychological distress and emotional dysregulation. Moreover, higher levels of emotional eating were found in females than in males. Predictors of emotional eating were sex, psychological distress, and emotional dysregulation. Mediation analyses showed that the indirect effect of psychological distress on emotional eating through emotional dysregulation was significant (b = 0.0069; SE = 0.0024; CI = 0.0024-0.0118), confirming that the relationship between psychological distress and emotional eating was mediated by emotional dysregulation, controlling for sex. The model explained 26.8% (R2 = 0.2680) of the variance. These findings may help to plan and develop psychological interventions aimed at addressing emotional eating in young adults by targeting emotional dysregulation.