Clinical description of sleep and trauma-related nightmares in a population of French active-duty members and veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Encephale
; 2022 Nov 21.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36424208
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a major public health problem. The most frequent complaints in this pathology are sleep disorders and trauma-related nightmares in particular. Trauma-related nightmares are characteristic of PTSD and impact its severity insofar as they are associated with more severe, longer-lasting symptoms and resistance to first-line treatments. There are specific characteristics associated with military personnel, including overrepresentation of replicative trauma-related nightmares. The aim of this study was to provide an accurate description of sleep patterns and the characteristics of trauma-related nightmares in a population of active-duty members or veterans diagnosed with PTSD.METHODS:
We recruited active-duty service members and veterans receiving treatment for PTSD in the psychiatric departments of five Military Teaching Hospitals (Hôpitaux d'Instruction des Armées, HIA) and described their sleep characteristics using a questionnaire, the Trauma-Related Nightmare Survey French version (TRNS-FR).RESULTS:
Out of 77 patients, 72 (93.5%) who experienced traumatic nightmares were included. This population had very severe clinical manifestations of PTSD, with a mean PCL-S score of 62.6 and an estimated total sleep time of 5.3h (317min). Among these patients, 31% had replicative nightmares and 57.7% had partially replicative nightmares. Nightmares were frequent (4.7 nightmares on average over the previous week), highly realistic, and highly immersive with exacerbated symptoms during the nightmare and also upon awakening.DISCUSSION:
Sleep quality was seriously altered among active-duty service members and veterans treated in Military Hospitals for PTSD with trauma-related nightmares. Certain criteria were identified to help characterize trauma-related nightmares their level of replication, recurrence and the impact of these symptoms on patients' lives.CONCLUSION:
Long-term traumatic nightmares are a prominent feature in the symptomatology of active service members and veterans suffering from PTSD. This symptom is of particular interest as it may be a sign of changes in the patient's condition and a potential therapeutic target.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article