The Dutch Version of the Centrality of Event Scale (CES)

Abstract

Abstract. Event centrality is defined as the extent to which the memory of a traumatic event forms a reference point for personal identity and the attribution of meaning to other experiences in a person’s life. The current study investigated the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen & Rubin, 2006 ) and its relation with symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, exposure to traumatic events as defined by DSM-5 trauma criterion A, and negative life events in a student sample ( N = 967). An underlying structure of one factor was found. This factor structure was replicated in two additional independent samples. High internal consistency was found for a 6-item CES. CES scores were positively related to symptoms of PTSD and depression, to the DSM-5 trauma criterion A, and the number of negative life events. The CES made a unique contribution to the explained variance in PTSD symptoms when controlling for depression. However, CES scores were unrelated to depression when controlling for PTSD symptoms, suggesting that event centrality might be more typically related to PTSD, and less to depression.

The Centrality of Events, Religion, Spirituality, and Subjective Well-Being in Latin American Jewish Immigrants in Israel

“…However, for some individuals, a negative event perceived as traumatic, highly stressful, or shocking, like the loss of a loved one or a near-death experience, could, under certain circumstances, become pivotal. People who define specific stressful or traumatic events as being central to their identities believe that these events make their lives different from those of most other people, and that people who have not experienced these types of events think differently than they do (Berntsen and Rubin, 2006;Vermeulen et al, 2019). These memory characteristics are usually associated with feelings of being detached from other individuals within their own society, with implications for psychological wellbeing (Watson and Dritschel, 2015).…”

Imagery Rescripting of Autobiographical Memories Versus Intrusive Images in Individuals with Disordered Eating

“…It contains 7 items, to be rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). The Dutch version of the scale has been shown to have high internal consistency, and its score was positively related to symptoms of PTSD and depression, to the DSM-5 trauma criterion A, and the number of negative life events (Vermeulen et al, 2020). Cronbach's alpha of the CES in the current study was α = 0.94.…”

“…The Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen & Rubin, 2006;Vermeulen et al, 2020) was used to measure the centrality of the autobiographical memory identified with the EMQ in the life-story and identity of the participant. It contains 7 items, to be rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree).…”

The Dutch 20 Item Centrality of Event Scale

“…In order to test the construct validity of Dutch CES-20, we explored the relation between CES and trauma-related psychopathology markers. We predicted to replicate earlier findings with the abbreviated Dutch CES (Vermeulen et al, 2020) (Hypothesis 2). Specifically, we predicted that CES scores would be positively correlated with symptoms of PTSD, that individuals with a possible PTSD diagnosis (based on PCL cut-off scores) would report higher CES scores than individuals below the cutoff, and that the CES would have a unique predictive value for symptoms of PTSD when controlling for depressive symptoms.…”