Links Between Future Thinking and Autobiographical Memory Specificity in Major Depression

Ali Sarkohi, Jonas Bjärehed, Gerhard Andersson

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DOI: 10.4236/psych.2011.23041                

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the association between autobiographical memory specificity and future thinking in a depressed sample. A total of 88 individuals who meet the DSM-IV criteria of major depression were included and completed the autobiographical memory test (AMT) and the future thinking task (FTT). The FTT was an index of number of future plausible events, rating of likelihood and emotional valence. The results showed that positive future thinking was significantly correlated with retrieval of specific positive autobio-graphical memories (r = 0.23). Moreover, correlational analyses showed that positive autobiographical memo-ries were negatively correlated with extended autobiographical memories, repeated autobiographical memories, semantic associations and non-responses on the AMT. Self-report measures of depression and anxiety were not correlated with either the FTT or the AMT. The results of this cross-sectional study only give weak support for an association between autobiographical memory specificity and future thinking.

Keywords

Depression, Prospective Cognitions, Autobiographical Memory, Future Thinking

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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