MSU faculty member researching psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemic

by Sam Kealhofer, Intern on the A&S Research Support Team

Gaining a national reputation for his work on behavioral sleep disturbances, Mississippi State University Department of Psychology associate professor Michael R. Nadorff shared his research on a May 17th edition of CBS Sunday Morning regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and its psychological effects on sleep patterns and dreams.

Nadorff shared a technique called Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) as a way to mitigate the odd or disturbing COVID-19 related dreams that many have experienced since the start of the pandemic, explaining that a daily practice of positive visualization can help control unwanted dreams. Nadorff offers a decade of experience studying sleep and sleep disorders.

In the past few years, he has published more than a dozen studies regarding sleep problems and their connection to suicide, depression and other mental disorders. In a study entitled “Treatment of Nightmare in Psychiatric Inpatients With Imagery Rehearsal Therapy: An Open Trial and Case Series,” recently published by Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Nadorff highlights the IRT theory.

The study demonstrates that IRT can lead to significant improvements in overall sleep as well as a reduction in nightmare frequency and intensity for psychiatric inpatients.

Nadorff is a licensed psychologist on the Behavioral Sleep Medicine roster of practitioners in Mississippi, an organization that is committed to the psychological study of sleep and sleep disorders. He serves on the board of directors for the society of Behavioral Sleep

Medicine and is a member of a COVID-19 task force currently focused on providing sleep advice and guidance during the pandemic.

The team has recently published an article, “The Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM) COVID-19 Task Force: Objectives and Summary Recommendations for Managing Sleep during a Pandemic,” which compiles a collection of information relevant to addressing sleep problems during the crisis and has supplemental materials useful to both patients and practitioners.

In addition, Nadorff is participating in an international study examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted sleep across various nations and cultures. Nadorff will survey and collect data from 1,000 U.S. participants for the study.

In an effort to contribute insight and solutions to the various challenges facing the nation, the College of Arts & Sciences will continue to highlight faculty research in our "Research In The Headlines" series each Monday and Wednesday. For more research in the headlines, visit https://www.cas.msstate.edu/research/researchintheheadlines/; and for information about the College of Arts & Sciences or the Department of Pyschology visit www.cas.msstate.edu or https://www.psychology.msstate.edu/.