title: The relationship between borderline symptoms and vantage perspective during autobiographical memory retrieval in a community sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent findings show that (previously) depressed and traumatised patients, compared to controls, make more frequently use of an observer perspective (as set against a field perspective) when retrieving memories. Because patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often report mood disturbances and past traumatic experiences, it would be plausible to expect that these patients too would retrieve higher proportions of observer memories. Therefore, and given the phenotypical variance of BPD, we examined whether vantage perspective during recall is associated with one or more BPD symptom clusters.
  
  
  METHODS
  A community sample consisting of 148 volunteers (66 males) completed the Autobiographical Memory Test, the Borderline Syndrome Index, and the Depression Scale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interpersonal and anxious-neurotic BPD features were associated with higher proportions of observer memories.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of observer memories was not associated with the total number of BPD symptoms. Nevertheless, our data suggest the existence of substantial connections between perspective taking during recall on the one hand and interpersonal difficulties and anxious-neurotic symptoms on the other hand, especially following cues that tap into domains that are highly discrepant towards one's actual self-concept.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, box 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium ; University Psychiatric Centre KU Leuven Campus Kortenberg, Leuvensesteenweg 517, 3070 Kortenberg, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van den Broeck
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, box 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reza
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, box 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nelis
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, box 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Claes
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, box 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium ; University Psychiatric Centre KU Leuven Campus Kortenberg, Leuvensesteenweg 517, 3070 Kortenberg, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pieters
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, box 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Raes
keywords: Autobiographical memory; Borderline personality disorder; Imagery perspective; Self-discrepancy; Vantage perspective