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Night terrors. Clinical characteristics and personality patterns
Archives of General Psychiatry
|December 1, 1980
Summary
Adult night terrors are linked to later onset and more frequent episodes compared to sleepwalking. Psychological factors, including anxiety and depression, play a significant role in adult-onset night terrors.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Night terrors and sleepwalking are parasomnias that can persist into adulthood.
- Adult-onset parasomnias are often associated with underlying psychological distress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical course and personality patterns of adults with night terrors.
- To compare night terrors with sleepwalking in adults.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 40 adult patients with current night terror complaints.
- Comparison between patients with night terrors and a group of adult sleepwalkers.
Main Results:
- Adult night terrors presented with later onset, higher frequency, and earlier episode timing than sleepwalking.
- Both groups exhibited high psychopathology, with night terror patients showing more severe symptoms.
- Night terror patients displayed inhibited aggression, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive traits, and phobic tendencies, unlike the outwardly directed behaviors of sleepwalkers.
Conclusions:
- While childhood parasomnias have genetic and developmental links, adult-onset or persistent night terrors and sleepwalking are more strongly associated with psychological factors.
- Personality patterns in adult night terrors are characterized by internalizing symptoms and inhibited aggression.