Effects of depression on memory performance and metamemory in children

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of depression on memory performance and metamemory in children.

Method: Performance on automatic memory tasks (frequency of occurrence), effortful memory tasks (Children's Auditory Verbal Learning Test), and a Metamemory Battery were examined in 21 unmedicated, depressed children and 21 nondepressed controls (matched for age, gender, and full-scale IQ). Subjects were divided into three groups based on depression severity (high depressed, low depressed, nondepressed).

Results: High depressed patients demonstrated performance deficits relative to nondepressed and low depressed children on the Children's Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Immediate Recall trial. Both groups of depressed children performed more poorly on the Metamemory Battery when compared to nondepressed children. Severity of depression differentiated overall performance. Metamemory performance of depressed subjects indicates possible difficulty with overestimation of memory abilities. No differences were found on automatic memory task performance.

Conclusions: Memory impairment in depression varies as a function of severity and may be evident only when a certain level of depression is reached. Overestimation of memory ability by depressed children may be an attempt to compensate for feelings of inadequacy or inferiority. It may also lead depressives to use poor judgment in selecting appropriate solutions for problems. Targeting these cognitive distortions could be a focal point of clinical and educational interventions.