Dream Enactment Behaviour in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Sleep Medicine
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Sleep disturbances are prevalent in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
• Dream Enactment Behaviour (DEB), while long associated with PTSD, has recently gained attention for its high prevalence.
• The impact of DEB on PTSD treatment outcomes is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the influence of DEB on functional impairment, symptom severity, and subjective sleep disturbances in PTSD patients.
• To assess the relationship between DEB and treatment response in PTSD.
• To explore the connection between DEB and Trauma-Associated Sleep Disorder (TASD).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial involving refugees with PTSD in Denmark.
• Participants completed self-report questionnaires on functional impairment, symptom severity, and sleep disturbances (RBDSQ, PSQI, TDQ) at baseline and follow-up.
• Statistical comparisons between groups with and without DEB using chi-square, Mann-Whitney U tests, and regression.

Main Results:

• 71% of respondents (N=176) met criteria for DEB (N=125).
• DEB was significantly associated with poorer sleep quality treatment response (PSQI, N=122, p=.035), independent of therapy type.
• No significant differences in functional impairment or symptom severity were found between groups.

Conclusions:

• DEB is a key sleep characteristic in PTSD that may reduce treatment effectiveness.
• The current concept of Trauma-Associated Sleep Disorder (TASD) does not fully capture all DEB instances in PTSD.
• Further development of the TASD concept is needed for clinical utility.