Wessel I, Meeren M, Peeters F, Arntz A, Merckelbach H
Department of Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Behav Res Ther. 2001 Apr;39(4):409-21. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(00)00011-5.
The present study examined the role of childhood trauma, major depressive disorder (MDD), and anxiety disorder (AD) in overgeneral autobiographical memory. Ninety-three outpatients and 24 healthy controls completed a childhood trauma questionnaire and an autobiographical memory test (AMT). Results showed that MDD diagnosis rather than trauma history predicted AMT-performance. Memory specificity was not related to AD diagnosis, recovered MDD, or self-rated depression severity. The present findings cast doubts on theories that emphasize the role of childhood trauma in overgeneral autobiographical memory.
