Autobiographical memory in diabetes mellitus patients

Objective: Although current theorizing proposes that adjustment to insulin- dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is influenced by appraisals of past heal th, there is little research into the role of autobiographical recall in pa tients with this condition. Autobiographical memory patterns were investiga ted in patients with IDDM and controls. Method: Fifteen patients with IDDM and 15 control participants were administered the Autobiographical Memory T est, the Deck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Multidimensional Health L ocus of Control Survey (MHLCS). Results: Patients with IDDM displayed impai red access to specific positive memories and took longer to retrieve memori es than controls. Impaired retrieval in patients with IDDM was associated w ith higher scores on the MHLCS-Powerful Others scale. Conclusions: Findings suggest that impaired recall of positive experiences is associated with po or adjustment to IDDM. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.