Pandemic dreams: A thematic analysis of university students’ dreams during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the dream content of university students. This research, which is based on a qualitative design, is based on a phenomenological approach. The group of the study was determined by purposive sampling, and 221 dreams that 115 university students had recently and that were not repetitive (it was emphasized that dreams were not seen before the pandemic and at the same time were not recurring) were recorded in written form by online survey method. Thematic analysis method was used in the analysis of the data. The six main themes that emerged as a result of the thematic analysis of dreams obtained from the participants are "Corona," "Chaos," "Death and Loss," "Illness," "Fear, Threat, and Anxiety," and finally "Crowd and Loneliness." It was found that the contents reflected in the dreams of the participants during the pandemic process affected the life negatively and traumatized the individual. It was also found that the participants and their relatives were infected with COVID-19, extraordinary events (traumatic experiences, e.g., the apocalypse, the outbreak of wars, natural disasters) were experienced during this disease, as well as deaths and losses due to the disease, and these were fearful in the dreamer, and increased the perception of threat and anxiety. On the other hand, it can also be argued that the widespread exposure of people to social distance and social isolation during the pandemic was reflected in the contents of dreams in the form of being alone and seeing crowded environments. As a result, since concerns and fears about the pandemic are common and many individuals are affected both while awake and asleep, talking about and analyzing the dreams of individuals who apply for counseling or therapy can be considered a useful approach in terms of relieving stress and anxiety related to COVID-19. Similarly, the dreamer's psychic sufferings can be effectively uncovered and processed through dream contents.