The Centrality of Events Scale in Portuguese Adolescents: Validity Evidence Based on Internal Structure and on Relations to Other Variables

Abstract

We explored the measurement model of the adolescent version of the Centrality of Event Scale and its invariance across community ( n = 1,079; 42.8% male), referred for foster care ( n = 205; 58.0% male), and detained ( n = 206 male) adolescent participants. Results indicated a three-factor measurement model, including all three functions that memories of significant life events may have, as a good fit to our data, particularly for male participants. This measurement model was invariant across boys taken from those different samples but not across gender. As for the short version of the instrument, a one-factor solution was the best fit to our data. It was invariant across boys taken from those different samples and across gender. Boys and girls expressed similar experiences, whereas community male adolescents reported the lowest impact of a meaningful event, in comparison with referred and with detained boys. These findings provide evidence on the validity of the scale for use with diverse adolescent samples, which may contribute for a better understanding of the impact that significant life events may have on the development of gender-specific and group-specific vulnerabilities.

Factor Structure, Internal Consistency and Criterion Validity of the Full‐form and Short‐form Versions of the Centrality of Events Scale in Young People

“…However, recent studies with non‐English speaking samples with different cultural backgrounds have shown different factor structures. For example, the Brazilian Portuguese version of the 20‐item CES (Gauer et al, ) evidenced three factors for both versions, and the Portugal Portuguese Adolescent version showed a three‐factor structure for the 20‐item version but a one‐factor structure for the 7‐item version (Vagos et al, ). In addition, the study conducted by Robinaugh and McNally () also found a three‐factor structure with the original 20‐item version (Robinaugh & McNally, ).…”

“…Robinaugh and McNally () also found that the 20‐item version of the CES best represented three factors (Robinaugh & McNally, ). In a more recent study, using Portugal Portuguese versions of the 7‐item and 20‐item versions of the CES with a sample of 1079 adolescents, confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed different structures for the two versions: a three‐factor structure for the 20‐item version and a one‐factor structure for the 7‐item version (Vagos, Ribeiro da Silva, Brazao, & Rijo, ).…”

The Centrality of Events Scale for Italian adolescents: Integrating traumatic experience into one’s identity and its relation to posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology

“…In their studies, Berntsen and Rubin (2006 , 2007 ) found three aspects that could explain why an event might become central to one’s life experience. Firstly, they pointed out that memories related to stressful or traumatic events can function as reference points in the attribution of meaning to past, present, and future experiences ( Vagos et al, 2018 ). Secondly, this theoretical framework considers memories of highly relevant events as potential central components of one’s personal identity.…”

“…However, as far as we know, few studies have tested the CES in a sample of adolescents ( Cunha, Matos, Faria, & Zagalo, 2012 ; Ionio, Mascheroni, & Di Blasio, 2018 ; Vagos et al, 2018 ). Although evaluating the centrality of events with adolescents whose identities and life stories are still developing could seem untimely, we believed that it is important to focus on this phase.…”

“…In addition, previous research has underlined that the effects of negative events are amplified by the presence of some psychological difficulties usually experienced by adolescents ( Sutherland & Bryant, 2005 ). Different studies have suggested that negative experiences may become central turning points in one person’s life by organizing life experiences and autobiographical memories ( Berntsen, Willert, & Rubin, 2003 ) and becoming central to the process of building one’s personal identity and for the attribution of meaning to life experiences ( Vagos, da Silva, Brazão, & Rijo, 2018 ).…”