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Vermeulen M, Gandhi A, Van Den Eede F, Raes F, Krans J. Event centrality in social anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Memory 2024; 32:528-539. [PMID: 38662790 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2024.2341706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Event centrality is defined by the extent to which a memory of an event has become central to an individual's identity and life story. Previous research predominantly focused on the link between event centrality and trauma-related symptomatology. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the perception of (adverse) events as central to one's self is not exclusive to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Other disorders where adverse events are linked to the onset of symptoms might also be related to event centrality. This study examined the relevance of event centrality for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) separately. Moreover, we examined which cognitive and emotion regulation variables (i.e., trait anxiety, rumination, worry, intrusions and avoidance, and posttraumatic cognitions) mediated these relationships. No significant correlation was found between event centrality and social anxiety. However, a significant positive correlation was found between event centrality and depression. In a combined group, this relation was mediated by all cognitive and emotion regulation variables except for worry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjam Vermeulen
- Behavior, Health, and Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Amarendra Gandhi
- Leuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre (L-BioStat), Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Filip Van Den Eede
- Department of Psychiatry, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem (Antwerp), Belgium
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Filip Raes
- Behavior, Health, and Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Julie Krans
- Behavior, Health, and Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Pro Persona Overwaal Centre for Anxiety, OCD, and PTSD, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Zimprich D, Pociūnaitė J, Wolf T. A multilevel factor analysis of the short form of the Centrality of Event Scale. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1268283. [PMID: 38250114 PMCID: PMC10797104 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1268283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The Centrality of Event Scale (CES) has frequently been used to measure the degree to which positive and negative life events are perceived central to a person's identity and life story; and previous research suggests that individuals rate their most positive memory as more central compared to their most negative one. When comparing the centrality of two (or more) memories within individuals, one needs to ensure that the CES (or its short form) is equally valid for different types of events (i.e., positive and negative) as well as on different levels of analyses (i.e., on the between-person and the within-person level), pointing to the issue of measurement invariance. Methods Three-hundred sixty-five adults (18-89 years of age) reported up to ten positive and up to ten negative autobiographical memories. For each memory reported, participants completed the seven-item short form of the CES, which measures three different components of centrality: Events can form a central component of identity (two items), a turning point in the life story (three items), and a reference point for everyday inferences (two items). Results Based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we found a two-factor structure (Self-Perception and Life-Course) to fit the data best at both levels of analyses and for both positive and negative events. Strict measurement invariance could be applied for positive and negative events at between-person level and at within-person level. The two factors, which measure the impact of an event on either a person's self-perception or their (future) life course, were rated higher for positive compared to negative memories. This difference, however, was stronger for the self-perception factor. Discussion The present study provides a first examination of the factorial structure of the CES short form on two levels (within and between persons) as well as for two types of life events (positive and negative). Whereas, a unidimensional scale might be sufficient to measure the centrality of stressful or traumatic life events, a more fine-graded measure seems better suited to understand the different roles of positive and negative life events for a person's identity and life story.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Zimprich
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
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Kowalchyk M, Chernoff E, Brinkman HR, Brown AD, Pietrzak RH, Feder A. Perceived social support moderates the relation between forward-focused coping and PTSD symptoms in World Trade Center trauma survivors. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 159:130-134. [PMID: 36708637 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Social support and perceived ability to cope with trauma have been linked to severity of PTSD symptoms. While previous literature has highlighted the influence of trauma coping style on PTSD severity, data are lacking regarding factors that may moderate this association. Such information may help inform more personalized treatments for PTSD. Toward this end, we analyzed data from 100 treatment-seeking WTC responders and survivors with full or subthreshold World Trade Center (WTC)-related PTSD who completed measures of perceived ability to cope with trauma and perceived social support prior to treatment initiation. Correlation analyses revealed that higher forward-focused perceived ability to cope (r = -0.24) and perceived social support (r = -0.32) were each associated with lower severity of PTSD symptoms. In a multivariable regression analysis, perceived social support emerged as a significant moderator of the relation between forward-focused coping and overall PTSD symptom severity (β = -0.36). Specifically, among individuals with higher forward-focused coping, those with higher social support had lower severity of symptoms than those with lower social support. Results suggest that interventions to bolster social support among trauma survivors with a forward-focusing coping style may help mitigate severity of PTSD symptoms in treatment-seeking trauma survivors with PTSD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Kowalchyk
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eva Chernoff
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hannah R Brinkman
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adam D Brown
- Department of Psychology, The New School for Social Research, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Adriana Feder
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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Vermeulen M, Smits D, Claes L, Gandhi A, Raes F, Krans J. The Dutch 20 Item Centrality of Event Scale. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1027/1015-5759/a000704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Event centrality is defined as the extent to which a memory of a traumatic event forms a reference point for people’s identity and attribution of meaning to other experiences in their life. Event centrality is typically measured with the Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen & Rubin, 2006 ). The present study’s first aim was to investigate the underlying factor structure and construct validity of the Dutch 20-item CES (CES-20) in undergraduates ( N = 1,091). The second aim was to test whether the CES-20 could prospectively predict posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms four months later. The data supported a one-factor structure of the CES with a high internal consistency (α = .95), which is not in line with the theoretical model of event centrality but aligns with previous empirical research. Furthermore, high construct validity was evidenced by positive and significant relations between the CES and PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, DSM-5 trauma A criterion, and the number of experienced negative life events. Event centrality was not a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms four months later when controlling for PTSD symptoms at time 1, which questions the prospective relation between event centrality and later PTSD symptoms for those events.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dirk Smits
- Behavior, Health and Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Odisee, University of Applied Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Laurence Claes
- Behavior, Health and Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (CAPRI), University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Amarendra Gandhi
- L-BioStat, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Knowledge Center, SD Worx, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Filip Raes
- Behavior, Health and Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Julie Krans
- Behavior, Health and Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Pro Persona Overwaal Centre for Anxiety, OCD and PTSD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Conen L, Johanßen H, Ülsmann D, Ertle A, Schulte S, Fydrich T, Schulte-Herbrüggen O. Validierung der deutschen Übersetzung der Centrality of Event Scale (CES-G). ZEITSCHRIFT FUR KLINISCHE PSYCHOLOGIE UND PSYCHOTHERAPIE 2022. [DOI: 10.1026/1616-3443/a000651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Eine wachsende Zahl von Forschungsarbeiten weist auf die Bedeutung der wahrgenommenen Zentralität eines traumatischen Ereignisses in der eigenen Lebensgeschichte für das Verständnis von Symptomen der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung (PTBS) hin. Zur Untersuchung dieser Beziehung exisitert bislang noch kein Messinstrument, das die Ereigniszentralität auf Deutsch erfasst. Fragestellung: Um die Forschung auf diesem Gebiet im deutschsprachigen Raum zu ermöglichen, wird die Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen & Rubin, 2006 ) in einer deutschen Übersetzung (CES-G) vorgestellt und hinsichtlich ihrer psychometrischen Eigenschaften untersucht. Methode: Zur psychometrischen Auswertung wurde die CES-G 322 Student_innen sowie 115 ambulanten Patient_innen mit ausgeprägter PTBS-Symptomatik vorgelegt. Ergebnisse: Die CES-G zeigt eine hervorragende interne Konsistenz, substanzielle Korrelationen mit Maßen von PTBS Symptomen, allgemeiner Psychopathologie, Depressivität und maladaptiven kognitiven Prozessen sowie eine kriterienbezogene Validität bezüglich PTBS Symptomen in einer klinischen Stichprobe. Schlussfolgerungen: Die deutsche Übersetzung der CES ist ein verlässliches und valides Messinstrument für Ereigniszentralität.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Conen
- Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Helen Johanßen
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, gemeinsame Einrichtung der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin und der Freien Universität Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Dominik Ülsmann
- Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatische Medizin, Friedrich von Bodelschwingh-Klinik, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Andrea Ertle
- Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Sarah Schulte
- Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Thomas Fydrich
- Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Olaf Schulte-Herbrüggen
- Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatische Medizin, Friedrich von Bodelschwingh-Klinik, Berlin, Deutschland
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Azadfar Z, Khosravi Z, Farah Bijari A, Abdollahi A. The Persian version of the centrality of event scale (CES): Assessment of validity and reliability among Iranian university students. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e32448. [PMID: 34825512 PMCID: PMC8785629 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Event centrality, the extent to which an experience is perceived as a central event in one's life, has been found to be a strong correlate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The centrality of event scale (CES) is commonly used in different conditions and cultures to measure trauma-related effects. However, the psychometric properties of this scale have not been investigated in the Iranian context. METHODS The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Persian translation of the 7-item CES in a sample of 525 university students with a history of a romantic breakup. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a one-factor structure. The CES score was positively correlated with psychological inflexibility and PTSD symptoms. The measurement invariance analyses showed that the 7-item CES is gender invariant and can be used for both men and women. FINDINGS Findings supported the good psychometric properties of the 7-item CES for measuring event centrality in Iranian university students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Azadfar
- Department of PsychologyFaculty of Education and PsychologyAlzahra UniversityTehranIran
| | - Zohreh Khosravi
- Department of PsychologyFaculty of Education and PsychologyAlzahra UniversityTehranIran
| | - Azam Farah Bijari
- Department of PsychologyFaculty of Education and PsychologyAlzahra UniversityTehranIran
| | - Abbas Abdollahi
- Department of CounselingFaculty of Education and PsychologyAlzahra UniversityTehranIran
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Imagery Rescripting of Autobiographical Memories Versus Intrusive Images in Individuals with Disordered Eating. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-021-10258-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
This study compared the effect of imagery rescripting (ImRs) of early autobiographical memories to ImRs of intrusive images and a no task control condition on eating disorder (ED) related core beliefs and ED symptoms in individuals at risk of developing an eating disorder. We qualitatively explored the content of ImRs scripts.
Method
Participants (N = 66, 87.8% females) were allocated to one of three conditions: ImRs of autobiographical memories, ImRs of intrusive images, or a no task control condition. Participants in the ImRs conditions received a 9-min self-guided ImRs intervention in the lab and practiced ImRs daily for the next 6 days online. Participants in the no task control condition took a 9-min break and did not do any further tasks. All participants attended a follow-up testing 1 week after the lab session.
Results
Both ImRs manipulations resulted in greater reductions in negative core beliefs and ED symptoms compared to the no task control group. However, there were no differences among the two ImRs groups. The most widely used rescripting strategy was self-compassion, followed by unhealthy, ED-confirming strategies. No significant associations were found between the ImRs strategies and any of the outcome measures.
Conclusion
ImRs may be a promising intervention for individuals with disordered eating and both early memories as well as intrusive images may be useful targets.
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Simkin H. The Centrality of Events, Religion, Spirituality, and Subjective Well-Being in Latin American Jewish Immigrants in Israel. Front Psychol 2020; 11:576402. [PMID: 33101146 PMCID: PMC7556205 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.576402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aims to explore the impact of migration as a central event in personal identity, spirituality, and religiousness on subjective well-being (SWB). The sample was composed of 204 Latin American immigrants living in Israel, with ages ranging from 18 to 80 years (M = 48.76; SD = 15.36) across both sexes (Men = 34.8%; Women = 65.2%). The results show that, when analyzing the effects on SWB, Positive and Negative Affect, Centrality of Event, Religious Crisis, and Spiritual Transcendence present as the most relevant explanatory variables within the models. However, contrary to expectation, the present study identifies positive associations between the centrality of migration and SWB. Motivations for emigration should be explored in further studies as they could be mediating the relationship between centrality of events and SWB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Simkin
- Carrera de Sociología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Boals A, Griffith E, Southard-Dobbs S. A Call for Intervention Research to Reduce Event Centrality in Trauma-Exposed Individuals. JOURNAL OF LOSS & TRAUMA 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2020.1734744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adriel Boals
- Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
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