Facets of autobiographical memory in adolescents with major depressive disorder and never‐depressed controls

Abstract

Adolescence is a crucial developmental window because it involves elaboration of the self‐concept, the laying down of lifelong autobiographical memories, and the development of emotional resilience during a time of substantial risk for mood problems. Autobiographical memory retrieval plays an important role in depression both in adults (van Vreeswijk & de Wilde, 2004) and adolescents (Kuyken, Howell, & Dalgleish, 2005; Park, Goodyer, & Teasdale, 2002). This study examined facets of autobiographical memory associated with memory retrieval in never‐depressed and currently depressed adolescents: personal importance, imagery, recency, source monitoring, and field‐observer perspective. Compared with never‐depressed adolescents, adolescents with depression were significantly more likely to retrieve memories from an observer perspective and more recent time period, preferentially rehearsed negative memories and rated their memories as more personally important. Depressed adolescents who reported a history of trauma retrieved more vivid autobiographical memories than depressed adolescents not reporting such a history, had rehearsed them more frequently, and reported more confidence in their veracity.

Notes

The authors are grateful to the young people who participated in our research and the colleagues who assisted with recruitment. We acknowledge the research assistance of Rachel Day and Claire Fothergill.

Data on number of episodes was missing for two participants, because the SCID was not completed in full for previous episodes of depression.

Verbal fluency for the sample as a whole: M = 11.84, SD = 3.83.

F‐tests with values < 1 are not reported.

Age and verbal fluency were covaried in this analysis.

Age was covaried in these two analyses. The analyses were replicated for only female participants, and the pattern of findings was identical.

This analysis was replicated for only female participants, and the pattern of findings was identical.

Nonparametric Mann‐Whitney tests with memory characteristics as the dependent variables and depression status as the independent variables confirmed all the main effects.

Only f‐values > 1 are reported.

Age and verbal fluency were covaried in this analysis.

Age was covaried in these two analyses. The analyses were replicated for only female participants, and the pattern of findings was identical.

This analysis was replicated for only female participants, and the pattern of findings was identical.