Smith Nicole S, Capron Daniel W
Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.
Behav Sleep Med. 2021 Nov-Dec;19(6):717-731. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2020.1860988. Epub 2020 Dec 17.
OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Nocturnal panic involves experiencing panic attacks out of a sleeping state without obvious causes. Roughly half of patients with panic disorder will experience nocturnal panic in addition to panic attacks while awake, or daytime panic. Like daytime panic, nocturnal panic also occurs in other disorders such as PTSD. The Fear of Loss of Vigilance theory is currently the only model available to explain nocturnal panic. It suggests nocturnal panickers fear states in which they cannot easily react to or protect themselves from danger. The current study sought to expand upon the existing theory by including constructs from the broader anxiety literature. Nocturnal panickers were expected to report higher scores on these measures when compared to daytime panickers and non-panickers.
A sample of 166 participants were screened for panic history.
Participants completed self-report measures regarding panic attacks, fear of sleep, intolerance of uncertainty, responsibility for harm, and fear of loss of vigilance.
Measures of fear of sleep and responsibility for harm successfully differentiated nocturnal from daytime panickers, whereas measures of intolerance of uncertainty and fear of loss of vigilance did not.
These results provide partial support for the Fear of Loss of Vigilance theory. Modifications to the theory to incorporate additional constructs are suggested.
目的/背景：夜间惊恐发作是指在睡眠状态下无明显原因地经历惊恐发作。大约一半的惊恐障碍患者除了在清醒时经历惊恐发作（即白天惊恐发作）外，还会经历夜间惊恐发作。与白天惊恐发作一样，夜间惊恐发作也会出现在其他疾病中，如创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）。目前，警惕性丧失恐惧理论是唯一可用于解释夜间惊恐发作的模型。该理论认为，夜间惊恐发作患者害怕自己无法轻易对危险做出反应或保护自己的状态。本研究旨在通过纳入更广泛焦虑文献中的概念来扩展现有理论。预计与白天惊恐发作患者和非惊恐发作患者相比，夜间惊恐发作患者在这些测量指标上的得分会更高。
对166名参与者进行了惊恐发作史筛查。
参与者完成了关于惊恐发作、睡眠恐惧、不确定性不耐受、伤害责任以及警惕性丧失恐惧的自我报告测量。
睡眠恐惧和伤害责任测量成功区分了夜间惊恐发作患者和白天惊恐发作患者，而不确定性不耐受和警惕性丧失恐惧测量则未能区分。
这些结果为警惕性丧失恐惧理论提供了部分支持。建议对该理论进行修正，以纳入更多概念。
