New research suggests that certain types of repetitive memories may be associated with certain symptoms of mental health disorders.
of studyThe paper, published Monday in NPJ Mental Health Research, part of the Nature Portfolio, was carried out by researchers at the University of Waterloo's Department of Psychology and describes the effects of “involuntary autobiographical memories'' or IAMs, or personal The purpose of this research is to investigate how past memories are recalled. When it occurs repeatedly and unintentionally, it can be correlated with a variety of mental health conditions.
Researchers are investigating whether repeated memory content, such as remembering interactions with friends or recalling embarrassing moments, can further worsen symptoms of depression, PTSD, social anxiety, and general anxiety. I was thinking of deciding what to do.
While previous research has focused on specific moments in time, or how trauma causes declines in mental health, this study focuses on how people's repeated “reconstructions” of events and repetitive We aimed to consider how emotional reactions can play a specific role in psychopathology. researchers say.
The authors of this study suggest that negative emotions tied to specific memories can worsen symptoms of certain mental health disorders.
“Beyond ratings of whether memories were positive or negative, we found unique relationships between specific topics and specific symptoms of the disorder,” the authors wrote in their study. There is.
“Our research is essential in also considering content such as the type of event described and how individuals reconstruct it, providing unique insights into mental health conditions.” It suggests.”
From 2018 to 2020, more than 6,000 participants completed an online survey about repetitive memories and were asked to describe the content of those memories, the study explains.
Based on the responses, the researchers created specific memory categories, such as memories of “family experiences,” “conversations,” or “passing each other.”
They found that certain topics such as “negative past relationships” and “abuse and trauma” were “uniquely associated with symptoms of mental health disorders such as depression and PTSD.” .
The study found that participants who showed symptoms of depression were most likely to have repeated memories related to “abuse or trauma,” while those who suffered from symptoms of PTSD were more likely to have repeated memories related to “past negative relationships.” was found to be most likely to be repeated.
People who suffered from PTSD symptoms were also less likely to repeatedly recall positive memories, such as “interacting with a friend.”
Meanwhile, memory for social interactions was associated with symptoms of social anxiety, but “not with symptoms of other disorders.”
People with symptoms of social anxiety were more likely to recall memories related to “reflection and decision making'' and less likely to repeatedly recall memories related to “negative past relationships'' or “abuse and trauma.''
Participants with general anxiety symptoms were most likely to have repeated memories of recalled “conversations.”
The researchers stated that “recurrent IAM topics and their association with mental health are identifiable, distinguishable, and quantifiable.”
