Going Beyond Trauma: A Scoping Review on the Prevalence of Symptom-Relevant Negative Autobiographical Memories in...

Although negative autobiographical memories play a defined etiological role for trauma-related disorders, it is less clear what role they play in other anxiety-related disorders. Understanding the prevalence of negative autobiographical memories that are conceptually related to a patient's symptoms (i.e., symptom-relevant negative autobiographical memories; SNAMs) in anxiety-related disorders may help inform the development of novel memory-based interventions. The current scoping review examined the prevalence of SNAMs in anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder, including SNAMs that were reported to have occurred around symptom onset (i.e., Symptom Onset SNAMs) and SNAMs that were reported to have occurred at any time (i.e., Lifetime SNAMs). Lifetime SNAMs also included a subcategory of SNAMs associated with intrusive imagery. The relationship of the presence of SNAMs to symptom onset, disorder status, and symptom severity was also examined. A systematic search identified 39 relevant articles. The prevalence of Symptom Onset SNAMs assessed by the Phobic Origins Questionnaire, interviews, and the Origins Questionnaire ranged from 30-89% (IQR = 50-68.5%; samples = 23), 23-61% (IQR = 30-49%; samples = 11), and 17-37% (samples = 6), respectively. The prevalence of Lifetime SNAMs ranged from 89-100% (samples = 6) and Intrusive Imagery-Related Lifetime SNAMs ranged from 38-100% (IQR = 60.5-79%; samples = 12). Five of 14 studies observed a significantly higher rate of SNAMs in patient relative to control samples. Findings are discussed with regard to limitations of the current evidence and future research that can inform the value of targeting SNAMs in treatment.