Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory: a mediator between rumination and ineffective social problem-solving
Filip Raes1, Dirk Hermans, J Mark G Williams
1Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. filip.raes@psy.kuleuven.be
Background:
Depressed individuals display a deficit in effectively solving social problem situations (e.g., []). Recent research suggests that rumination may interfere with such effective problem-solving (e.g., []). However, little is known, as yet, about the mechanisms that are underlying this relation between rumination and poor problem-solving. The present study investigated the role of reduced specificity of autobiographical memories as a mediator of this relationship.
Methods:
24 depressed patients (15 women) completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), the Means-Ends Problem-Solving Task (MEPS), the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) and the Rumination on Sadness Scale (RSS).
Results:
Consistent with previous studies, rumination, ineffective problem-solving and reduced memory specificity were significantly associated. Regression analyses further extended these findings by showing that reduced memory specificity mediated the association between rumination and problem-solving effectiveness.
Limitations:
The correlational nature of this study limits to some extent the conclusions that can be drawn on the directionality of the observed relationships.
Conclusions:
Results offer support for the idea that lack of autobiographical memory specificity mediates the known relationship between rumination and poor problem-solving.
More Related Videos
11:30Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
Published on: August 26, 2011
09:14Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: March 14, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Introspection
Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
Autobiographical Memory
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...