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Autobiographical Memory in Adolescent Girls with Anorexia Nervosa
Author(s) -
Bomba Monica,
Marfone Mirella,
Brivio Elisa,
Oggiano Silvia,
Broggi Fiorenza,
Neri Francesca,
Nacinovich Renata
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/erv.2321
Subject(s) - alexithymia , anorexia nervosa , autobiographical memory , psychology , toronto alexithymia scale , eating disorders , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , anorexia , psychiatry , developmental psychology , cognition , medicine , economics , macroeconomics
Objective The aim of the study is to investigate deficits in autobiographical memory in adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). Methods Sixty female individuals with AN and 60 healthy volunteers with an age range of 11–18 years were enrolled. The Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), the Eating Disorder Inventory‐3, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale‐20 for the evaluation of alexithymia and Children's Depression Inventory to evaluate depressive traits were administered. In addition to classical AMT words, we proposed seven experimental cues, chosen from words often used by individuals with eating disorders in daily life. Results Girls with AN showed a massive overgeneral memory effect. This effect was not related to the presence of depression or alexithymia but increased with the duration of the disorder rather than with its severity. Discussion The alteration of autobiographical memory manifests in adolescence. Girls with AN showed a dysregulation of both negative and positive emotional experiences that seemed to be influenced by the disease duration. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.