The content of recurrent dreams in young adolescents

• We examined the content of recurrent dreams reported by children aged 11–15 years.
• Common themes were: monsters, physical aggressions, falling, and being chased.
• Recurrent dreams were more likely to include negative content than positive content.
• Recurrent dreams reported by children differ from those reported by adults.
• Findings provide some support for the threat simulation theory of dreams.

Studies on children’s recurrent dreams have been largely anecdotal and based on adults’ recollections of dreams experienced during childhood. We collected 102 reports of recurrent dreams from a sample of young adolescents aged between 11 and 15 years and scored the narratives using a range of content measures, including in relation to the threat simulation theory (TST) of dreaming. The most frequently reported themes involved confrontations with monsters or animals, followed by physical aggressions, falling and being chased. Recurrent dreams were more likely to include negative content elements than positive elements. Only half of the recurrent dreams contained threatening elements and their analysis provided mixed support for the TST. Differences between the content of recurrent dreams reported by young adolescent versus adults are discussed as are possible sex effects and key issues that remain to be addressed by future research.