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Original Articles and Reviews

Prediction of Postnatal Affective Changes by Autobiographical Memories

Published Online:September 01, 2006https://doi.org/10.1027//1016-9040.5.1.52

Abstract

Specificity and categoric descriptions of autobiographical memories (AM) are reported to be psychological trait markers for vulnerability for depression. Thus, they should permit the prediction of future affective changes. Fifty pregnant women were tested for their recall of AM as well as twice—during pregnancy and 3 months after delivery—with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; Cox, Holden & Sagovsky, 1987). The main scope of the study was the evaluation of the potential of AM in predicting affective changes in a nonclinical sample of women following childbirth. Using a hierarchical multiple regression analysis, categoric descriptions in response to negative cue words allowed a significant prediction of affective changes.

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