Nightmare frequency in sexual assault survivors with PTSD.
Sexual assault survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were assessed for frequency of nightmares, measured retrospectively on the Nightmare Frequency Questionnaire (NFQ) and prospectively on nightmare dream logs (NLOG). Retrospective frequency was extremely high, averaging occurrences every other night and an estimated number of nightmares greater than five per week. Test-retest reliability data on the NFQ yielded weighted kappa coefficients of .85 (95% CI, .74-.95) for nights and .90 (95% CI, .83-.97) for nightmares. Correlations between retrospective and prospective nightmare frequencies ranged between .53 (P = .001) for nights and .63 (P = .001) for nightmares. Correlations between frequency and distress measures (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress) yielded coefficients ranging from (r = .28-.53). Compared with intrusive, cumbersome and time-consuming prospective measurements, the NFQ appears reliable, convenient, and equally useful in assessing nightmare frequency in a group of sexual assault survivors. Nightmare frequency, prevalence, distress and impairment are discussed.
Sleep & Human Health Institute, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, 4775 Indian School Road NE, Suite 305, Albuquerque, NM 87110, USA. bkrakow@salud.unm.edu
Barry
B
Krakow
Ron
R
Schrader
Dan
D
Tandberg
Michael
M
Hollifield
Mary P
MP
Koss
C Lillian
CL
Yau
Diana T
DT
Cheng
D000328:Adult; D004325:Dreams / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009516:New Mexico; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires