Examined whether the repression, mood congruent memory, and salience models would explain the frequency of diary recorded dream recall in 2 groups: a trauma group of 268 Palestinian 6-15-yr-olds living in a politically violent area in Gaza, and a comparison group of 144 6-15-yr-olds living in a peaceful area in Galilee. In general, the more Ss were exposed to trauma, the more frequently they recalled their dreams: the trauma group reported more dreams than the comparison group, and, within the trauma group, Ss who were repeatedly exposed to traumatic events recalled more dreams than Ss exposed to fewer traumatic events. Of the 3 models of dream recall, 2 were supported. First, salient (bizarre, emotional, narratively coherent) dreams were more frequently recalled, and, second, those in which the dream mood (atmosphere and feeling) was congruent with waking mood were more frequently recalled. However, contrary to expectations, repressive coping strategies (paralysis, denial, numbing) were associated with more frequent dream recall. Although dream recall was correlated with problems in psychological adjustment, the relationship was symptom specific: frequent dream recall shielded children from somatic and anxiety symptoms but made them more susceptible to depressive symptoms.