Imagining the Autobiographical Self Across Life Transitions: When does Specificity or Narrative Coherence Predict Later Mental Health?

TY - ABST

T1 - Imagining the Autobiographical Self Across Life Transitions: When does Specificity or Narrative Coherence Predict Later Mental Health?

AU - Watson, Lynn Ann

AU - Lee, Lauren

AU - O'Mahen, Heather

PY - 2022/11

Y1 - 2022/11

N2 - Episodic and coherent forms of thinking may shape our psychological well-being when experiencing a major life-transition. We prospectively examined how features of episodic and coherent thinking prior to the major life-transition of childbirth affected later maternal postnatal cognitive functioning and mental health. One hundred six women who were 27 or more weeks pregnant with their first child completed measures of cognitive and mood symptoms in pregnancy and again 3-months postnatally. During pregnancy women generated descriptions of how they imagined the birth of their child and a motherhood event. These were coded for specificity and coherence. Analyses revealed relationships between specificity when thinking about childbirth and postnatal mental health outcomes (depression, traumatic stress and anxiety) that were mediated by rumination. Coherence when imagining motherhood was indirectly related to postnatal mental health symptoms via cognitive avoidance and then rumination. Being able to imagine specific features of future events and coherently imagine identity-relevant domains could support effective adaptation across life transitions.

AB - Episodic and coherent forms of thinking may shape our psychological well-being when experiencing a major life-transition. We prospectively examined how features of episodic and coherent thinking prior to the major life-transition of childbirth affected later maternal postnatal cognitive functioning and mental health. One hundred six women who were 27 or more weeks pregnant with their first child completed measures of cognitive and mood symptoms in pregnancy and again 3-months postnatally. During pregnancy women generated descriptions of how they imagined the birth of their child and a motherhood event. These were coded for specificity and coherence. Analyses revealed relationships between specificity when thinking about childbirth and postnatal mental health outcomes (depression, traumatic stress and anxiety) that were mediated by rumination. Coherence when imagining motherhood was indirectly related to postnatal mental health symptoms via cognitive avoidance and then rumination. Being able to imagine specific features of future events and coherently imagine identity-relevant domains could support effective adaptation across life transitions.

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - Autobiographical Memory and Psychopathology Meeting

Y2 - 17 November 2022 through 18 November 2022

ER -