Maladaptive Daydreaming in Relation to Linguistic Features and Attachment Style

(1) Background: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a concept that describes a significant imaginary activity that replaces human engagement and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal, or vocational functioning. We explored the interaction between attachment style, reflective functioning (RF), and the narrative dimension of MD. (2) Methods: 414 adults completed an online survey, including socio-demographic variables, the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, Relationship Questionnaire, and Reflective Functioning Questionnaire. Participants were asked to write a short description of the most representative episodes of their daydreams. Eighty-four participants were identified as maladaptive daydreamers (MDers). (3) Results: A set of t-tests between MDers and non-MDers group showed differences in attachment dimensions, RF, and linguistic measures. A linear regression model with Global Severity Index (GSI) of the revised Symptom Checklist-90 as the dependent variable, and psychological scales as independent variables showed that the MD score was the strongest predictor of GSI. Regarding differences between the two groups in linguistic measures, the MDers showed more use of reflection and sensory-somatic words, and a smaller number of affective words. (4) Conclusions: These results support the idea that the MD is a process connected to psychopathological mechanisms, probably to a sub-symbolic activation, and to dysfunctional self–other relational patterns that are difficult to integrate.

Childhood traumatization and dissociative experiences among maladaptive and normal daydreamers in a Hungarian sample

The aim of the study was to identify some potential etiological segments of maladaptive daydreaming, especially the relationships between maladaptive daydreaming, childhood traumatization, and dissociative propensity. The questionnaire package included the Hungarian version of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale, the Traumatic Antecedents Questionnaire, as well as the Dissociation Questionnaire. 717 participants were recruited online, 106 of whom were problematic daydreamers. The results revealed that certain types of childhood trauma occurred significantly more frequently in the group of maladaptive daydreamers. Furthermore, maladaptive daydreamers possessed a significantly higher level of dissociative propensity compared to normal daydreamers. The estimated SEM models showed that dissociative experiences - more precisely Identity confusion and fragmentation and Lack of control – mediated the relationship between certain childhood traumatic experiences and maladaptive daydreaming. The results suggest that we should consider childhood traumatization and increased dissociative propensity as potentially significant factors in the etiology of maladaptive daydreaming.

Prevalence of maladaptive daydreaming among medical students at the University of Khartoum, Sudan, in 2020–2021

Background Daydreaming is a normal cognitive phenomenon in which the individual experiences a temporary separation from reality during which contact with reality is compromised and, to some extent, replaced by a visionary fantasy. On the other hand, daydreaming can progress to a maladaptive state, known as maladaptive daydreaming. The aim of this study was to help understand the full scope of maladaptive daydreaming among medical students at the University of Khartoum, in Sudan, by displaying all maladaptive daydreaming-related statistics among studied population. An analytical cross-sectional university-based study was conducted during the academic year 2020–2021, using a total of 323 self-administered online questionnaires; the questionnaire containing the Arabic Version of Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale and other sociodemographic data were given by stratified random selection to undergraduate medical students at the University of Khartoum, in Sudan, between December and January 2021. Results 34.3% of medical students at the University of Khartoum have identified themselves as maladaptive daydreamers. More males were found to be maladaptive daydreamers when compared to female medical students. The average Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale score among medical students was found to be 33.6 (sd=22.3). No significant correlation was found between Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale score and gender, and there was a significant correlation between the MDS score and the academic class of medical students at University of Khartoum. Conclusions Maladaptive daydreaming was discovered to have a significant impact on the population of medical students at the University of Khartoum, with some alarming rates and correlations among medical students; having more than one-third of total medical students found to be having MD must surely indicate a much larger and more widespread problem. A multifactorial holistic approach covering biological, psychological, social, and academic aspects must be used when hypothesizing the justification for these findings and planning an active intervention strategy.

Maladaptive Daydreaming in an Adult Italian Population During the COVID-19 Lockdown

During the COVID-19 outbreak, individuals with or without mental disorders may resort to dysfunctional psychological strategies that could trigger or heighten their emotional distress. The current study aims to explore the links between maladaptive daydreaming (MD, i.e., a compulsive fantasy activity associated with distress and psychological impairment), psychological symptoms of depression, anxiety, and negative stress, and COVID-19-related variables, such as changes in face-to-face and online relationships, during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. A total of 6,277 Italian adults completed an online survey, including socio-demographic variables, COVID-19 related information, the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 Items (DASS-21). Based on an empirically derived cut-off score, 1,082 participants (17.2%) were identified as probable maladaptive daydreamers (MDers). A binary logistic regression revealed that compared to controls, probable MDers reported that during the COVID-19 lockdown they experienced higher levels of anxiety and depression, decreased online social relationships, and, surprisingly, stable or increased face-to-face social relationships. Given the peculiar characteristics of the pandemic context, these findings suggest that the exposure to the risk of contagion had probably exacerbated the tendency of probable MDers to lock themselves inside their mental fantasy worlds, which in turn may have contributed to further estrangement from online social relationships and support, thus worsening their emotional distress.

Od małego „Dyzia” do dorosłego „rycerza z La Manchy”. Analiza problemu marzycielstwa u dzieci i młodzieży z perspektywy kulturowo-historycznej teorii rozwoju

This study describes the issue of maladaptive daydreaming. This phenomenon is becoming a contemporary educational problem because it limits the development potential of children and adolescents as well as their interpersonal relations. The field of possible understanding of maladaptive daydreamingin relation to terms related in meaning was outlined, as well as the current attempts at its scientific conceptualization. In my analysis, I go beyond the dualistic understanding of the children’s real and imaginary world, referring to the cultural-historical theory of the development of creative imagination as a higher mental function as an internalized system of social relations. From this perspective, the phenomenon of daydreaming in children and adolescents, in relation to reality, is not treated in a dichotomous way, but as a social development situation.

Attachment characteristics and emotion regulation difficulties among maladaptive and normal daydreamers

Maladaptive daydreaming is an excessive form of daydreaming which causes significant distress and functional impairment to the affected individuals. Research on maladaptive daydreaming has intensified in recent years, but its pathogenesis has not yet been clearly elucidated. The aim of the study was to examine the attachment characteristics and the difficulties in emotion regulation among maladaptive and normal daydreamers. 717 individuals were recruited online, 106 of whom were screened as maladaptive daydreamers. The results of the Attachment Style Questionnaire revealed a specific attachment style among maladaptive daydreamers, who were characterized by ‘Ambivalent-fearful’ attachment characteristics, while normal daydreamers showed ‘Secure-independent’ attachment style. Regarding emotion regulation difficulties, maladaptive daydreamers showed a significantly higher level of deficit on each subscale of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale compared to normal daydreamers. The findings highlighted the potential role of early attachment experiences in the etiology and pathogenesis of maladaptive daydreaming, as well as the presence of severe emotion regulation deficits among problematic daydreamers. The results revealed by the present study might give contributions to the development of psychotherapeutical treatment of maladaptive daydreaming.