Autobiographical memories cued by self-statements in patients with alcohol use disorder: linking self-conceptions to past events.

ABSTRACT

The study examined the personal sense of identity in alcohol use disorder (AUD) through the relation between autobiographical memories and individuals' self-conception. The AUD detoxified patients and control participants were asked to create a list of self-statements to which they associated for the three main autobiographical memories illustrating them. The group variable was not associated with the number of positive self-statements, but it was associated with the number of negative self-statements. Furthermore, for the autobiographical memories cued by a positive self-statement, the group was related to the number of positive memories and general memories, while no relation was observed for the memories cued by a negative self-statement. Our results also support that AUD patients' memories cued by self-statements are older and more alcohol-related. Hierarchical regression analyses in the AUD patients demonstrated that the use of adaptive emotional regulation strategies was the only significant predictor of the use of positive or negative self-statements.