Nighttime Fears and Fantasy–Reality Differentiation in Preschool Children

Nighttime fears are very common in preschool years. During these years, children’s fantasy–reality differentiation undergoes
significant development. Our study was aimed at exploring the links between nighttime fears and fantasy–reality differentiation
in preschool children. Eighty children (aged: 4–6 years) suffering from severe nighttime fears were compared with 32 non-fearful
controls. Fears were assessed using child and parental reports. Children viewed images depicting fantastic or real entities
and situations, and were asked to report whether these were imaginary or could occur in real life. The results revealed that
children with nighttime fears demonstrated more fantasy–reality confusion compared to their controls. These differences in
fantasy–reality differentiation were more pronounced in younger children. Additional significant associations were found between
fantasy–reality differentiation and age and specific characteristics of the stimuli. These preliminary findings, suggesting
a developmental delay in fantasy–reality differentiation in children with nighttime fears, have significant theoretical and
clinical implications.