Women's dreams reported during first pregnancy

This study analysed women's dreams reported during first pregnancy, a subje ct matter located at the crossroads of the psychology of dreams and the psy chology of pregnancy. In the comparison of dreams reported by first-time pr egnant women, to those reported by controls, we hypothesized that pregnant women's dreams would: (i) include more pregnancy-related content; (ii) disp lay a higher degree of anxiety; and (iii) rate higher on a primary-process thinking (PPT) scale. As predicted, it was found that pregnancy-related con tents significantly occupied pregnant women's dreams, a fact that might be attributed to an attempt to process and master the experience. Contrary to our expectations, it was found that anxiety and PPT were not significantly higher among pregnant women. An attempt to account for these findings raise d methodological, as well as theoretical issues, consequently leading to a re-examination of the original hypotheses. Thus, it was claimed that the li nkage of pregnancy to increased anxiety and PPT is grossly unbalanced.