| Reduced autobiographical memory specificity (AMS) is an important cognitive phenomenon with respect to major depressive disorder (MDD). However, knowledge is lacking about the mechanisms underlying AMS and how they, along with reduced AMS, may influence MDD. The CaR-FA-X model of Williams et al. (2007) proposes that three processes contribute to reduced AMS, alone and/or in interaction: capture and rumination (CaR), functional avoidance (FA), and impaired executive control (X). Despite much research on how AMS relates to each of these mechanisms, the CaR-FA-X model in its entirety has yet to be tested. Furthermore, the extent to which the mechanisms that contribute to reduced AMS differ as a function of a history of MDD is not clear. The present study addressed these gaps in the literature by investigating contributions of the CaR-FA-X mechanisms to reduced AMS, alone and/or in interaction. Additionally, the direct and indirect effects (i.e., through AMS) of the mechanisms on onsets of MDD were explored. A total of 439 young adults participating in a larger study of risk for emotional disorders (the Northwestern-UCLA Youth Emotion Project) were administered the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) in order to assess AMS. In addition, participants completed measures of brooding ruminative processing (CaR), adverse experiences in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood (FA), avoidant coping (FA), and verbal fluency (X). Overall, there was greatest support for associations between reduced AMS and the capture and rumination, and impaired executive control mechanisms. Brooding and verbal fluency interacted to contribute to reduced AMS in participants with ( n = 164) and without (n = 275) a history of MDD at the time of the AMT. Lower verbal fluency (indicative of impaired executive control) was associated with reduced AMS among those low on brooding for participants with a history of MDD and among those high on brooding for those without a history of MDD. Furthermore, higher brooding---but not reduced AMS---significantly predicted the recurrence of MDD among participants with a history of MDD. Implications for conceptualizations of reduced AMS and its mechanisms, as well as recommendations for future research and potential applications for intervention and prevention, are discussed. |
