Rumination and self-defining memories in the context of health concerns.
Individuals with health anxiety report experiencing a strong sense of vulnerability to illness. Such beliefs may be driven by the biased recollection of past illness-related events. However, little research has explored the role of memory in health anxiety. In other disorders, rumination has also been identified as a process that leads individuals to recall memories dominated by the content of their concerns. This study examined the proposition that rumination might impact the content of "self-defining" autobiographical memories among 60 college students with varying health anxiety (35% with clinical-level health anxiety). Participants were randomised to experiential/ruminative self-focus conditions, and then they completed the Self-Defining Memory Task. Responses were coded for valence and illness-relatedness. Results indicated that rumination led participants to retrieve more illness-related self-defining memories, while higher health anxiety scores were associated with more negative, but not more illness-focused memories. Ruminative thinking appears to activate health concerns, and may play a role in maintaining ongoing health anxiety.
a School of Psychology , University of New South Wales (UNSW) , Kensington , Australia.|b Kids Cancer Centre , Sydney Children's Hospital , Randwick , Australia.|c School of Women's and Children's Health , University of New South Wales (UNSW) , Kensington , Australia.
Ursula M
UM
Sansom-Daly
a School of Psychology , University of New South Wales (UNSW) , Kensington , Australia.
Richard A
RA
Bryant
b Kids Cancer Centre , Sydney Children's Hospital , Randwick , Australia.|c School of Women's and Children's Health , University of New South Wales (UNSW) , Kensington , Australia.
Richard J
RJ
Cohn
b Kids Cancer Centre , Sydney Children's Hospital , Randwick , Australia.|c School of Women's and Children's Health , University of New South Wales (UNSW) , Kensington , Australia.
Claire E
CE
Wakefield
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D000074222:Rumination, Cognitive / Q000502:physiology*; D013334:Students; D055815:Young Adult
Autobiographical memory; Health anxiety; Illness anxiety disorder; Rumination; Self