OBJECTIVES: In the present prospective study, the relationship between autobiographical memory specificity and the emotional reactions to a stressful event was investigated. DESIGN AND METHODS: The Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) was administered to 74 women before they underwent an in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, which subsequently failed. Symptoms of emotional reactions - depression and anxiety - were measured both before and after the (failed) IVF treatment. RESULTS: It was found that the number of reported specific memories at baseline was negatively related to depressive and anxiety symptoms after the treatment, even when initial depressive and anxiety symptoms and verbal fluency were controlled for. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the findings indicate that a lack of autobiographical memory specificity predicts changes in depressive mood after a stressful event.