The Role of Dreams in Protecting Psychological Well-being in Traumatic Conditions

• Published in: International journal of behavioral development Vol. 22; no. 3; pp. 559 - 588
• Main Author: Punamaeki, Raija-Leena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01.09.1998; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Child clinical studies; Children; Dreams; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Palestine; Protection; Psychological wellbeing; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Role; Traumatic life events; Human; Mood disorder; Nervous system diseases; Cognitive disorder; Anxiety disorder; Somatic complaint; Sleep disorder; Depression; Trauma; Preadolescent; Dream; Symptomatology; School age; Adolescent; Neurological disorder; Child; Aggressiveness; Psychological well being
• ISSN: 0165-0254; 1464-0651
• DOI: 10.1080/016502598384270

The mental health function of dreaming was studied among Palestinian children and adolescents in a trauma group (N= 268) and a comparison (N= 144) group. The subjects were 6- to 15-year-old boys and girls, the mean age being 11.2± 2.64. They used a seven-day dream diary to record the dreams they could recall every morning. The results suggest that compensatory dreams could moderate between trauma and psychological symptoms. Traumatic events were not associated with psychological symptoms among children whose dreams were bizarre, vivid and active, and involved joyful feelings and happy endings. A mediating model suggested that exposure to traumatic events was associated with mundane persecution and unpleasant repetitious dreams. These dysfunctional dreams were, in turn, associated with poor psychological adjustment. The dynamics of mastery and compensation dreams in traumatic conditions are discussed.