title: Remembering rejection: specificity and linguistic styles of autobiographical memories in borderline personality disorder and depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High levels of rejection sensitivity are assumed to be the result of early and prolonged experiences of rejection. Aim of this study was to investigate autobiographical memories of rejection in clinical samples high in rejection sensitivity (Borderline Personality Disorder, BPD, and Major Depressive Disorder, MDD) and to identify group differences in the quality of the memories.
  
  
  METHODS
  Memories of rejection were retrieved using an adapted version of the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; five positive cue words, five cue words referring to rejection). Specificity of memories and linguistic word usage was analyzed in 30 patients with BPD, 27 patients with MDD and 30 healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with BPD retrieved less specific memories compared to the healthy control group, whereas patients with MDD did not differ from controls in this regard. The group difference was no longer significant when controlling for rejection sensitivity. Linguistic analysis indicated that compared to both other groups, patients with BPD showed a higher self-focus, used more anger-related words, referred more frequently to social environments, and rated memories of rejection as more relevant for today's life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical symptoms were not assessed in the control group. Moreover, the written form of the AMT might reduce the total number of specific memories.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The level of rejection sensitivity influenced the specificity of the retrieved memories. Analysis of linguistic styles revealed specific linguistic patterns in BPD compared to non-clinical as well as depressed participants.
authors.affiliation: Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, D-14195 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: c.rosenbach@fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosenbach
authors.affiliation: Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Babette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Renneberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology; D014825:Vocabulary; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Autobiographical memory; Borderline; Depression; Linguistic patterns; Rejection sensitivity