title: Explicit self-esteem mediates the relationship between implicit self-esteem and memory biases in major depression.
abstract: This study examines the relationships between explicit and implicit self-esteem and self-referent memory biases in depression. We specifically tested the hypothesis that implicit self-esteem would influence depression-related memory biases via its association with explicit self-esteem. Self-esteem was assessed in patients with a current Major Depressive Disorder (MDD; n=38) and in a control group of participants who had never experienced depression (ND; n=40) by using explicit (Rosenberg Self-esteem Questionnaire) and implicit (Go/No-go Association Task) measures. A self-referent processing task of negative and positive adjectives was used to assess memory bias. Our analyses revealed that participants diagnosed with MDD showed lower levels of both explicit and implicit self-esteem in comparison to ND participants. MDD compared to ND participants also recalled a greater number of depressed self-referent adjectives and lower recall of positive self-referent information. Mediation analyses showed an indirect effect of explicit self-esteem on the relationship between implicit self-esteem and depression-related memory biases in the MDD group. These findings suggest an association between implicit and explicit self-esteem in depression that may result in negative cognitive processing, as reflected by self-referent memory biases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Somosaguas Campus, 28223 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: nuria.romeromartin@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Somosaguas Campus, 28223 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Somosaguas Campus, 28223 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Somosaguas Campus, 28223 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valiente
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; Implicit cognition; Memory biases; Self-esteem; Self-referent processing