Autobiographical Memory in Adolescent Girls with Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of the study is to investigate deficits in autobiographical memory in adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN).MethodsSixty 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.ResultsGirls 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.DiscussionThe 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.