Gender differences in anxiety dreams of school-aged children

In regard of the literature reporting gender differences in dream life of adults and children the present study investigated anxiety dreams in a sample of 624 school-aged children (10 to 16 years). Girls reported a heightened frequency of anxiety dreams, especially after the age of 14 years. Gender differences in dream content were found, too. Boys more often dreamt of monsters and big animals whereas girls' dreams were dominated by humans and small animals as aggressors. Overall the findings support the hypothesis that gender specific socialization is reflected in dreams. Further research may concentrate on topics such as the relationship between anxiety dream frequency and problem-solving skills or the treatment of nightmares with imagery rehearsal.