Implications of language use in posttraumatic nightmares on psychological symptoms.

Abstract

The current study sought to understand how language use in posttrauma nightmare (PTNM) reports may be related to psychological symptoms over the course of treatment. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between language use in PTNMs and psychological symptoms. Specifically, cognitive processing words (CPW) and emotional tone (ET) measured in PTNMs were analyzed in their relationship to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptom severity, as well as nightmare frequency and distress measured at the midtreatment and last treatment sessions. Follow-up hierarchical regressions were used to assess the relationship of language to nightmare severity when controlling for both PTSD and depression severity. The sample consisted of treatment-seeking predominately Caucasian females from the community with a history of criterion A trauma and weekly nightmares. CPW in the nightmare were negatively associated with PTSD and depression symptom severity, as well as nightmare frequency, at the time of the exposure session. Decreased CPW and negative ET within the nightmare remained significantly associated with nightmare frequency at the time of the exposure session, when controlling for PTSD and depression symptom severity. CPW in the rescripted PTNM were negatively associated with PTSD and depression symptom severity at the time of the last treatment session. These results suggest that language use in nightmares may reveal important information about underlying cognitive and emotional processes that may help understand the etiology and maintenance of PTSD symptoms, as well as support PTNMs as co-occurring symptoms requiring targeted treatment, and not merely secondary symptoms of PTSD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).