Some Personality Characteristics of College Students Reporting Frequent Nightmares

This study examined whether college students reporting frequent nightmares would score differently on scales of the Ausburg Multidimensional Personality Instrument (AMPI; Kelly, 2012) relative to a comparison group. University students (N=373) completed the AMPI and a questionnaire to assess how frequently they experienced nightmares. The results indicated that individuals with frequent nightmares scored higher on the AMPI validity scale Unlikeliness (unusual signs of distress) and the clinical scales Somatization (frequent bodily discomforts), Dysphoria (sadness and meaninglessness), Hystericality (desire to be liked, avoidance of responsibility, and limited insight), Paranoia (interpersonal suspiciousness), Anxiousness (anxiety and stress), Schizotypic (unusual perceptual experiences), and Hypomania (high energy). Regression analyses revealed that only Schizotypic and Hypomania scores significantly predicted unique variance in experiencing frequent nightmares. The results and limitations were discussed.