Performance in Autobiographical Memory of Older Adults with Depression Symptoms

Abstract

SummaryThe aim of this study was to compare the performance in the Autobiographical Memory Test in older adults with high scores on depression symptoms (HDS) compared with a matched group with low scores on depression symptoms (LDS) according to the clinical cut‐off of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Participants were asked to generate specific autobiographical memories in response to a series of positive and negative cue words. Latencies of responses for each item were also scored. LDS participants showed a higher proportion of specific memories than HDS participants. Latencies of responses to positive and negative cues were greater for HDS than LDS. Specific autobiographical memory was positively associated with Life Satisfaction. Cognitive emotional changes in the function of memory with age are suggested as a possible explanation for the findings. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Age differences in rumination and autobiographical retrieval

“…Thus, negative mood may activate trait rumination and the negative consequences of rumination on the amount of autobiographical recall can then be observed. In non-depressed older adults, specific autobiographical memory was positively associated with life satisfaction (Latorre et al, 2013) and negatively with hopelessness (Ricarte et al, 2011). Moreover, older adults present a preference for remembering positively rather than negatively valenced information.…”

Effects of instructions and cue subjectiveness on specificity of autobiographical memory recall. [Efectos de las instrucciones y de la subjetividad de la palabra clave en el recuerdo específico de la memoria autobiográfica]

“…However, any memory recovery task, even without being specific, would activate a recall process from a more general stadium which would facilitate in the future a higher number of specific memories that could be employed for positive therapy. In fact, preliminary results in our lab about specific recovery training programs have shown that any recovery activity, even when is not specific, produces an increment in specific recovery (Latorre, Serrano, Ros, Aguilar-Corcoles, & Navarro, 2008). For specificity assessment objectives, the effects of using a higher number of practice words, non-focused on specificity necessarily should be tested.…”

A relação entre a sintomatologia depressiva e a evocação de memórias autobiográficas em pessoas idosas

“…O que se tem verificado é que, relativamente à especificidade das memórias autobiográficas evocadas, os idosos com sintomatologia depressiva e depressão evocam em média menos memórias autobiográficas específicas em comparação com os idosos sem sintomatologia depressiva e sem depressão (Barata & Afonso, 2012;Birch & Davidson, 2007;Latorre et al, 2013;Ricarte et al, 2011).…”

“…Por último, a análise do tempo de latência também tem evidenciado que as pessoas com sintomatologia depressiva apresentam maior tempo de latência que as pessoas sem sintomatologia depressiva (Latorre et al, 2013;Serrano et al, 2007), no entanto no estudo de Birch e Davidson (2007) não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre grupos.…”