Fraser, Ruth (2024) Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Sleep Quality in Young Adults: The mediating effects of Disturbing Dreams and Nightmares. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Anxiety has strong associations with both sleep quality and nightmares in young adults, and with 26.3% of female and 24.4% of male Australians aged 16–24-years suffering an anxiety disorder, research investigating this relationship should be prioritised. Nightmares as a mechanism in the relationship between anxiety and sleep quality has received little attention. Therefore, this study focused on generalised anxiety disorder in young adults aged 18-25 years and specifically how disturbing dreams and nightmares mediates generalised anxiety disorder’s relationship with sleep quality. The mediation model was tested by analysing the archival survey response data of 536 young adults using the measures of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results showed that all three study variables were correlated with one another with a range of coefficients between .19 and .44, p < .05. The mediation analysis performed revealed that disturbing dreams and nightmares partially mediated this relationship with 15.79% of the variation accounted for by the model. Treating only the main presenting problem of generalised anxiety disorder when sleep problems also exist can leave the sufferer with residual sleep issues. Identifying more specific sleep problems that cooccur with generalised anxiety disorder, such as disturbing dreams and nightmares could assist clinicians to individualise treatment plans and therefore facilitate better outcomes, such as improved sleep and daytime functioning, for their clients.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
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| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Dr Ireland Renee; Dr Watling, Chris |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology) |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Jan 2026 06:09 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2026 06:09 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | generalised anxiety disorder, disturbing dreams and nightmares, sleep quality, young adults. |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520304 Health psychology |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53087 |
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