Meta-autobiographical Remembering Questionnaire (MARQ): Metacognitive Beliefs About Voluntary and Involuntary Negative and Positive Autobiographical Memories

Abstract Purpose Metacognitive prediction of autobiographical remembering has long been overlooked. However, expected costs such as emotion dysregulation caused by negative memory recall and expected benefits such as improving mood induced by positive memory recall can affect autobiographical remembering. Such anticipations may contribute to abnormalities in autobiographical memory associated with emotional disorders, but those assessment tools have not yet been developed. Method In Study 1, we developed a self-report questionnaire MARQ (Meta-Autobiographical Remembering Questionnaire) in Japanese and examined its structural validity. In Study 2, test–retest reliability was assessed, and in Study 3, the convergent validity was tested. In Studies 4 and 5, we developed the English version of the MARQ, and tested its reliability and validity. In both versions, the MARQ consists of six factors: (a) emotion dysregulation and (b) avoidance of negative involuntary retrieval, (c) emotion dysregulation and (d) avoidance of negative voluntary retrieval, and (e) difficulty and (f) emotion dysregulation in positive voluntary retrieval. Results Across five studies, we confirmed the reliability and validity for the original Japanese version and translated English version. Convergent validation showed that these factors were related to depressive symptoms and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and related cognitive processes. The results highlighted reduced expected benefits and increased expected costs of autobiographical remembering in individuals with higher levels of depressive symptoms and PTSS. Conclusion Emotion dysregulation and avoidance of involuntary negative memories may generalize to voluntary memory, and the assessment and intervention focusing on these processes would inform transdiagnostic approaches based on memory research.