Psychometric evaluation of the Hamburg Nightmare Questionnaire (HNQ)

<b>Background:</b> Nightmares are a widespread phenomenon. In comparison to the general population, they occur in mentally ill and especially in traumatized individuals with an increased frequency. Despite the high prevalence, there is no short questionnaire in the German language that is able to characterize nightmares, to differentiate between different nightmare types and to assess their impact on daytime functioning. <b>Objective:</b> The Hamburg Nightmare Questionnaire (HNQ) has been developed as a short self-rating instrument to fill this gap. <b>Method:</b> Psychometric characteristics of the HNQ were evaluated in a sample of 707 German soldiers passing through the standard diagnostics of the Center for Mental Health at the German Armed Forces Hospital Hamburg. <b>Results:</b> The results of this study show satisfactory psychometric characteristics as a sound factorial structure and adequate internal consistency for the HNQ as well as initial indications of the construct validity of its subscales. <b>Conclusions:</b> The HNQ is a reliable and economic tool for the assessment of posttraumatic nightmares in clinical as well as research settings. • The Hamburg Nightmare Questionnaire (HAFB) is a new and short assessment tool for nightmares in clinical and research settings.• HAFB assesses frequency and duration of nightmare occurrence.• HAFB subscales cover the areas of emotional (e.g. fear) and psychophysiological (e.g. heart racing) reactions, dream content, reorientation after awakening and clarity of dream recall.• HAFB measures impairment in areas of everyday functioning such as family life or physical performance resulting from nightmares.

**研究背景**：噩梦是一种普遍存在的现象。与普通人群相比，精神疾病患者尤其是创伤个体的噩梦发生频率显著更高。尽管噩梦患病率较高，但目前德语领域尚无简短问卷可用于表征噩梦、区分不同类型的噩梦，并评估其对日间功能的影响。
**研究目的**：本研究开发了汉堡噩梦问卷（Hamburg Nightmare Questionnaire, HNQ）这一简短自评工具，以填补这一空白。
**研究方法**：本研究针对707名接受德国汉堡武装部队医院心理健康中心标准诊断流程的德国士兵样本，评估了HNQ的心理测量学特征。
**研究结果**：本研究结果显示，HNQ具备良好的心理测量学特性，包括合理的因子结构与充足的内部一致性，同时其各子量表也初步表现出结构效度。
**研究结论**：HNQ是一款可靠且便捷的评估工具，可用于临床与科研场景中创伤后噩梦的评估。
• 汉堡噩梦问卷（Hamburg Nightmare Questionnaire, HAFB）是一款适用于临床与科研场景的新型简短噩梦评估工具。
• HAFB可评估噩梦发生的频率与持续时长。
• HAFB的子量表涵盖情绪（如恐惧）与心理生理（如心跳加速）反应、梦境内容、觉醒后重新定向以及梦境回忆清晰度等维度。
• HAFB可评估噩梦导致的日常功能受损情况，例如家庭生活或躯体表现方面的障碍。