PREVALENCE OF NOCTURNAL PANIC IN A COLLEGE POPULATION

The lifetime prevalence of nocturnal panic was examined in 294 college students. A questionnaire was used to examine the frequency with which nocturnal panic occurred and its relationships with daytime panic attacks. Standardized measures were used to examine perceived emotional control, anxiety sensitivity, and trait anxiety. Uncued nocturnal panics were reported by 5.1% of the sample, which was the same as the prevalence for uncued daytime panic attacks. Of those who reported nocturnal panic, 50% did not report the occurrence of daytime panic. The occurrence of uncued nocturnal panic was predicted significantly by the intensity of somatic sensations reported to occur out of sleep due to an obvious cue and by anxiety sensitivity index scores. The number of uncued nocturnal sensations seemed related to the tendency to experience somatic sensations under other conditions (i.e., during the day for no apparent reason and out of sleep due to an obvious cue). On the other hand, level of anxiety about the experience of uncued nocturnal sensations seemed related not only to the sensations typically experienced under such conditions, but also to the tendency to view such sensations as threatening (i.e., anxiety sensitivity). It is concluded that, as with uncued daytime panic attacks, nocturnal panic is likely to entail both arousability and cognitive attributional factors. © 1990.