Women's dreams reported during first pregnancy

This study analysed women's dreams reported during first pregnancy, a subject matter located at the crossroads of the psychology of dreams and the psychology of pregnancy. In the comparison of dreams reported by first‐time pregnant women, to those reported by controls, we hypothesized that preg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences 2001-02, Vol.55 (1), p.13-20
Main Authors: Dagan, Yaron, Lapidot, Anat, Eisenstein, Michal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anxiety
Biological and medical sciences
Dreams
Female
first pregnancy
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gynecology and obstetrics
Humans
Internal-External Control
Parity
pregnancy
Pregnancy - psychology
Psychology and medicine
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
women
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Summary:This study analysed women's dreams reported during first pregnancy, a subject matter located at the crossroads of the psychology of dreams and the psychology of pregnancy. In the comparison of dreams reported by first‐time pregnant women, to those reported by controls, we hypothesized that pregnant women's dreams would: (i) include more pregnancy‐related content; (ii) display a higher degree of anxiety; and (iii) rate higher on a primary‐process thinking (PPT) scale. As predicted, it was found that pregnancy‐related contents significantly occupied pregnant women's dreams, a fact that might be attributed to an attempt to process and master the experience. Contrary to our expectations, it was found that anxiety and PPT were not significantly higher among pregnant women. An attempt to account for these findings raised methodological, as well as theoretical issues, consequently leading to a re‐examination of the original hypotheses. Thus, it was claimed that the linkage of pregnancy to increased anxiety and PPT is grossly unbalanced.
ISSN:1323-1316
1440-1819
DOI:10.1046/j.1440-1819.2001.00778.x