THE ROLE OF DREAM IN EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND MENTAL HEALTH IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Dreaming has emerged as a critical psychological process with significant implications for emotional regulation and mental health. University students, who face intense academic, social, and cultural stressors, are particularly susceptible to variations in dream patterns that may reflect underlying emotional functioning. This study examined the relationships between dream recall frequency, emotional regulation difficulties, and mental health outcomes in a sample of 210 Pakistani undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18–30 years. Using a quantitative correlational design, participants completed the Mannheim Dream Questionnaire (MADRE), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Descriptive analyses indicated moderate dream recall frequency and psychological distress among participants, with minor gender differences. Correlational results revealed a moderate positive association between dream recall frequency and emotional regulation difficulties (r = .48, p < .01) and between dream recall and psychological distress (r = .42, p < .01). Emotional regulation difficulties showed a strong positive correlation with psychological distress (r = .71, p < .01), suggesting that students struggling to manage emotions are more likely to experience mental health challenges. Regression analyses further identified DERS as the strongest predictor of psychological distress (β = 0.68, p < .001), while dream recall contributed indirectly (β = 0.21, p = .004), indicating that frequent dreams may signal emotional vulnerability rather than resilience. Theoretically, these findings align with the Continuity Hypothesis, emphasizing that dream content reflects waking-life concerns, and with the Emotion Regulation Theory, which views dreams as functional mechanisms for processing affective experiences. Culturally, the results highlight how academic pressure, familial expectations, and social norms in Pakistan may exacerbate emotional difficulties, influencing both dream patterns and mental health. Practically, the findings underscore the need for university wellness programs to incorporate interventions targeting emotional regulation, sleep hygiene, and reflective engagement with dream experiences. Overall, this study positions dreams not merely as passive reflections of waking life but as clinically informative markers of emotional functioning, offering valuable insight into students’ psychological well-being and providing a foundation for culturally sensitive mental health interventions in higher education contexts.