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Biases in the relationship between dream threats and level of anxiety upon awakening

Saez-Uribarri, Iñigo (2012) Biases in the relationship between dream threats and level of anxiety upon awakening. [Conference Poster] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Objectives: Controlling report length in dream content analysis comprises a significant methodological problem. Individual differences occur in report length which can influence category coding and rating scales. Differences are also found in dream content by sex and age. The aim of this study is to determine the bias of certain variables in dream content analysis when using rating scales, coding systems and questionnaires. As such, an evaluation was performed of the bias of these variables on the relationship between anxiety upon awakening, social threats (ST) and terrifying threats (TT) established in a previous study. Methods: The sample consisted of 215 dreams collected in dreamers' homes (63 belonged to men and 152 to women). The dreamer's level of anxiety upon awakening was assessed with the CEAD. The level of social and terrifying threats in the content of the dreams was also assessed. Other variables entered into the analysis were sex, age, dream length, number of hours before answering the questionnaire, number of hours' sleep and the frequency with which the dreamer suffers nightmares. Results: Use of the Mann Whitney U found significant differences by sex in the dreamer's nightmare frequency (z=-2.53 p=.011), in terrifying threats in the dream (z=-2.03 p= .042) and by dream time (z=-2.51 p=.012). The Spearman Rho correlation coefficient indicated a positive relationship between anxiety upon awakening and nightmare frequency (Rho=.26 p<.001). Social and terrifying threats were also positively correlated with word count and the number of dream characters (Rho=.37 p<.001, Rho=.17 p=.010). Both anxiety upon awakening and social and terrifying threats were negatively correlated with the age of the dreamer (RhoCEAD-AGE=-.20 p=.006, RhoST-AGE=-.30 p<.001, RhoTT-AGE=-.37 p<.001). Possible biases due to sex, age, word count and the number of characters were statistically controlled by means of partial correlation. Through the use of partial correlations, the significance between anxiety upon awakening, social threats and terrifying threats in the dream was observed to be maintained (rCEAD-TS=.17 p=.025, rCEAD-TT=.19 p=.011). Conclusion: The sex, age of the dreamer, the report word count and the number of dream characters must be controlled in research into dream content. In addition, after eliminating these biases, a significant relationship was confirmed between threats which appear in the dream and the dreamer's level of anxiety upon awakening.

Item Type:Conference Poster
Keywords:dream content; dream function; evolutionary psychology; anxiety; nightmares; sleep; threat perception; avoidance responses; dreams characters
Subjects:Psychology > Evolutionary Psychology
Psychology > Psycholinguistics
ID Code:8268
Deposited By: Saez-Uribarri, Iñigo
Deposited On:09 Nov 2012 19:41
Last Modified:18 Feb 2013 15:15

References in Article

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Saez-Uribarri, I. (2008). Anxiety upon Awakening and Attributes of Dream Characters. http://www.cogprints.org/7069

Saez-Uribarri, I. (2006). Evaluación de la ansiedad en despertares con actividad onírica. http://www.cogprints.org/5324

Saez-Uribarri, I. (2012). Evaluación de amenazas sociales y terroríficas en sueños cotidianos. Actas de la XXI reunión anual de la Sociedad Española de Sueño. Vigilia y Sueño, 24(1), 20. http://jbah.es/ojs/index.php/vigilia-sueno/article/view/29/35

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