Sleep Paralysis Research Paper
Cult Med Psychiatry
DOI 10.1007/s11013-013-9327-x
ORIGINAL PAPER
Rates and Characteristics of Sleep Paralysis in the General Population of Denmark and Egypt
Baland Jalal • Devon E. Hinton
Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
Abstract In the current research we report data from two studies that examined rates and characteristics of sleep paralysis (SP) in the general population of Denmark and Egypt. In Study I, individuals from Denmark and Egypt did not differ in age whereas there were more males in the Egyptian sample (47 vs. 64 %); in Study
II, individuals from Denmark and Egypt were comparable in terms of age and gender distribution. In Study I we found that significantly fewer individuals had experienced SP in Denmark [25 % …show more content…
In Study II we found that individuals who had experienced at least one lifetime episode of SP from Denmark (n = 58) as compared to those from Egypt
(n = 143) reported significantly fewer SP episodes in a lifetime relative to SP experiencers from Egypt (M = 6.0 vs. M = 19.4, p \ .001). SP in the Egyptian sample was characterized by high rates of SP (as compared to in Denmark), frequent occurrences (three times that in the Denmark sample), prolonged immobility during
SP, and great fear of dying from the experience. In addition, in Egypt, believing SP to be precipitated by the supernatural was associated with fear of the experience and longer SP immobility. Findings are discussed in the context of cultural elaboration and salience theories of SP.
Keywords
Sleep paralysis Á Rates Á Culture Á Fear Á Anxiety Á Trauma
B. Jalal (&)
Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California at San Diego, 0109, Mandler …show more content…
While some studies suggest that SP is a common phenomenon with between 18 and 40 % of the general population having experienced it at least once in a lifetime (Cheyne et al. 1999; Fukuda et al. 2000; Wing et al. 1999) other studies have found prevalence rates as low as 6 %. Moreover, research indicates that SP may be more common in certain populations and among certain ethnic and cultural groups. For instance, data indicate that college students and psychiatric patients in general have higher rates of SP ranging from 25 to 42 % reporting at least one lifetime episode (e.g., Awadalla et al. 2004; Sharpless and Barber 2011). Furthermore, research has found SP rates to be highest in individuals with African and
Asian descent (e.g., Paradis and Friedman 2005). Specifically among psychiatric patients, Cambodian refugees have the highest rates of SP (Hinton et al. 2005a, b, c); among college students Asians report higher rates of SP compared to other ethnic groups (Sharpless and Barber 2011).
It has been suggested that culture may influences rates of SP. For example,
DOI 10.1007/s11013-013-9327-x
ORIGINAL PAPER
Rates and Characteristics of Sleep Paralysis in the General Population of Denmark and Egypt
Baland Jalal • Devon E. Hinton
Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
Abstract In the current research we report data from two studies that examined rates and characteristics of sleep paralysis (SP) in the general population of Denmark and Egypt. In Study I, individuals from Denmark and Egypt did not differ in age whereas there were more males in the Egyptian sample (47 vs. 64 %); in Study
II, individuals from Denmark and Egypt were comparable in terms of age and gender distribution. In Study I we found that significantly fewer individuals had experienced SP in Denmark [25 % …show more content…
In Study II we found that individuals who had experienced at least one lifetime episode of SP from Denmark (n = 58) as compared to those from Egypt
(n = 143) reported significantly fewer SP episodes in a lifetime relative to SP experiencers from Egypt (M = 6.0 vs. M = 19.4, p \ .001). SP in the Egyptian sample was characterized by high rates of SP (as compared to in Denmark), frequent occurrences (three times that in the Denmark sample), prolonged immobility during
SP, and great fear of dying from the experience. In addition, in Egypt, believing SP to be precipitated by the supernatural was associated with fear of the experience and longer SP immobility. Findings are discussed in the context of cultural elaboration and salience theories of SP.
Keywords
Sleep paralysis Á Rates Á Culture Á Fear Á Anxiety Á Trauma
B. Jalal (&)
Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California at San Diego, 0109, Mandler …show more content…
While some studies suggest that SP is a common phenomenon with between 18 and 40 % of the general population having experienced it at least once in a lifetime (Cheyne et al. 1999; Fukuda et al. 2000; Wing et al. 1999) other studies have found prevalence rates as low as 6 %. Moreover, research indicates that SP may be more common in certain populations and among certain ethnic and cultural groups. For instance, data indicate that college students and psychiatric patients in general have higher rates of SP ranging from 25 to 42 % reporting at least one lifetime episode (e.g., Awadalla et al. 2004; Sharpless and Barber 2011). Furthermore, research has found SP rates to be highest in individuals with African and
Asian descent (e.g., Paradis and Friedman 2005). Specifically among psychiatric patients, Cambodian refugees have the highest rates of SP (Hinton et al. 2005a, b, c); among college students Asians report higher rates of SP compared to other ethnic groups (Sharpless and Barber 2011).
It has been suggested that culture may influences rates of SP. For example,