title: The influence of eating psychopathology on autobiographical memory specificity and social problem-solving.
abstract: The primary aim was to examine the influence of subclinical disordered eating on autobiographical memory specificity (AMS) and social problem solving (SPS). A further aim was to establish if AMS mediated the relationship between eating psychopathology and SPS. A non-clinical sample of 52 females completed the autobiographical memory test (AMT), where they were asked to retrieve specific memories of events from their past in response to cue words, and the means-end problem-solving task (MEPS), where they were asked to generate means of solving a series of social problems. Participants also completed the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. After controlling for mood, high scores on the EDI subscales, particularly Drive-for-Thinness, were associated with the retrieval of fewer specific and a greater proportion of categorical memories on the AMT and with the generation of fewer and less effective means on the MEPS. Memory specificity fully mediated the relationship between eating psychopathology and SPS. These findings have implications for individuals exhibiting high levels of disordered eating, as poor AMS and SPS are likely to impact negatively on their psychological wellbeing and everyday social functioning and could represent a risk factor for the development of clinically significant eating disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK. Electronic address: n.ridout@aston.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ridout
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Munveen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matharu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.affiliation: Loughborough University Centre for Research into Eating Disorders, School of Sport Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wallis
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000339:Affect; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D002032:Bulimia; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011340:Problem Solving; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011599:Psychopathology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Eating disorders; Overgeneral memory; Social functioning