Memórias autobiográficas e suas relações com a religiosidade/espiritualidade e afetos

Abstract

Autobiographical Memories (AMs) refer to significant personal recollections throughout life, playing a central role in the individual’s cognitive, linguistic, and emotional functioning. In parallel, religiosity/spirituality has gained growing interest due to its protective effect on mental health and cognitive functioning. In this context, the main objective of this study is to evaluate how evoked AMs relate to religiosity/spirituality and affect regulation in healthy adults. The instruments used were: Sociodemographic questionnaire; Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale; World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument – Spirituality, Religiosity, and Personal Beliefs module; Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; Autobiographical Memory Test; and the Phenomenological Characteristics of Autobiographical Memories Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including repeated measures ANOVA, Student’s t-test, and simple linear regression. Results indicated that 88.41% of the AMs were classified as specific. No statistical differences were found in the level of specificity, latency, or details of memories evoked by spiritual, negative, or positive word categories. However, positive and spiritual words were associated with more important and frequently recalled AMs. Regression analysis showed that spirituality was a significant predictor of the phenomenological characteristics of AMs. Additionally, an increase in positive affect and a reduction in negative affect were observed when comparing pre- and post-AMT. These findings reinforce the influence of religiosity/spirituality on autobiographical recall and highlight the need for further investigation into the role of individual and cultural factors in modulating these memories.