The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance
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 dis...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
American Psychological Association
2016
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44659/ |
| _version_ | 1848796967973421056 |
|---|---|
| author | Hochard, Kevin D. Heym, Nadja Townsend, Ellen |
| author_facet | Hochard, Kevin D. Heym, Nadja Townsend, Ellen |
| author_sort | Hochard, Kevin D. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:56:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-44659 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:56:24Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | American Psychological Association |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-446592020-05-04T17:39:29Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44659/ The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance Hochard, Kevin D. Heym, Nadja Townsend, Ellen 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. American Psychological Association 2016-03-31 Article PeerReviewed Hochard, Kevin D., Heym, Nadja and Townsend, Ellen (2016) The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance. Dreaming, 26 (1). pp. 42-49. ISSN 1573-3351 Resilience Stress Sleep Nightmares http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-13720-004 doi:10.1037/drm0000013 doi:10.1037/drm0000013 |
| spellingShingle | Resilience Stress Sleep Nightmares Hochard, Kevin D. Heym, Nadja Townsend, Ellen The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance |
| title | The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance |
| title_full | The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance |
| title_fullStr | The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance |
| title_full_unstemmed | The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance |
| title_short | The behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance |
| title_sort | behavioral effects of frequent nightmares on stress tolerance |
| topic | Resilience Stress Sleep Nightmares |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44659/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44659/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44659/ |