Posttraumatic nightmares and psychopathology in children after road traffic accidents.
Posttraumatic nightmares are considered as a reexperiencing symptom of the DSM-IV posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. Different types of posttraumatic nightmares, however, may differ in their relation to psychopathology. Thirty-two children were longitudinally assessed 10 days, 2 months, and 6 months after traffic accidents. Occurrence and characteristics of nightmares were examined and their relation to psychopathology assessed. Thirty-four percent of children reported posttraumatic nightmares during at least one assessment. Exact replicative nightmares at baseline assessment predicted PTSD symptoms 2 and 6 months postaccident, but not depressive symptoms. Exact replicative nightmares revealed the strongest cross-sectional association with trauma-specific psychopathology but not with depression. The authors conclude that posttraumatic nightmares--especially exact replicative ones--may be closely related to psychopathological mechanisms of posttraumatic stress in children.
Wittmann
Lutz
L
Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Zurich, Culmannstrasse 8, CH 8091 Zurich, Switzerland. lutz.wittmann@usz.ch
Zehnder
Daniel
D
Schredl
Michael
M
Jenni
Oskar G
OG
Landolt
Markus A
MA
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D004325:Dreams / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D013557:Switzerland