Dissociations of the night: Individual differences in sleep-related experiences and their relation to dissociation and schizotypy.

The author examined the associations among sleep-related experiences (e.g., hypnagogic hallucinations, nightmares, waking dreams, and lucid-dreams), dissociation, schizotypy, and the Big Five personality traits in 2 large student samples. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that (a) dissociation and schizotypy are strongly correlated—yet distinguishable—constructs, and (b) the differentiation between them can be enhanced by eliminating detachment/depersonalization items from the dissociation scales. A general measure of sleep experiences was substantially correlated with both schizotypy and dissociation (especially the latter) and more weakly related to the Big Five. In contrast, an index of lucid dreaming was weakly related to all of these other scales. These results suggest that measures of dissociation, schizotypy, and sleep-related experiences all define a common domain characterized by unusual cognitions and perceptions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family life stress and insomnia symptoms in a prospective evaluation of young adults.

The present study prospectively investigated the association between family life stress and insomnia symptoms among 115 undergraduates, ages 17-22 years. Participants completed the following questionnaires at 2 study time points, spaced 3 weeks apart: the Insomnia Severity Index, the Negative Life Events Questionnaire (NLEQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory. First, family life stress at baseline was hypothesized to predict elevated insomnia symptoms 3 weeks later, above and beyond depressive symptoms. Second, compared with academic stressors, negative family and social life events were expected to best predict increased insomnia. Regression analyses were conducted to test study predictions. Hypotheses were partially supported. Family life stress was significantly associated with increased insomnia symptomatology, even after controlling for depression. Results also revealed that negative family life events, together with academic stress, predicted the highest levels of insomnia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mood changes in response to psychosocial stress in healthy young women: Effects of pretreatment with cortisol.

Effects of cortisol on human mood during stress situations are still incompletely understood, although this topic has important clinical implications. In this experiment, the mood of 44 healthy young women (all oral contraceptive users) was examined. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled time series paradigm was used. Subjects were treated with either 30-mg cortisol or placebo orally. Forty-five minutes later, subjects attended a psychosocial stress procedure (Trier Social Stress Test; TSST; C. Kirschbaum, K. M. Pirke, & D. H. Hellhammer, 1993). The course of the subjects' mood as well as salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase levels were measured before and after the TSST. With regard to mood, it was found that the groups did not differ in mood before the TSST. After stress exposure, the subjective ratings of current mood state of cortisol-treated women were significantly less negative than that of placebo-treated subjects. These findings show that raising cortisol levels prior to acute stress has a protective effect on mood during stress situations. Results are discussed with regard to the context of specific adaptive effects of cortisol and the role of cortisol in posttraumatic stress disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)