Autobiographical memory in diabetes mellitus patients.
OBJECTIVE
Although current theorizing proposes that adjustment to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is influenced by appraisals of past health, there is little research into the role of autobiographical recall in patients with this condition. Autobiographical memory patterns were investigated in patients with IDDM and controls.


METHODS
Fifteen patients with IDDM and 15 control participants were administered the Autobiographical Memory Test, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Survey (MHLCS).


RESULTS
Patients with IDDM displayed impaired access to specific positive memories and took longer to retrieve memories than controls. Impaired retrieval in patients with IDDM was associated with higher scores on the MHLCS-Powerful Others scale.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that impaired recall of positive experiences is associated with poor adjustment to IDDM.
Leung
P
P
School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
Bryant
R A
RA
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001325:Autobiographies as Topic; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires