A NEW LOOK AT THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE CENTRALITY OF EVENT SCALE

Abstract

Objective: Centrality of Event theory suggests that traumatic events are overly integrated into the memory network as such events become central to the identity, and serve as a reference and turning point. Berntsen and Rubin (2006, 2007) developed Centrality of Event Scale in order to assess these features, and gathered evidence mostly from Western cultures with contradictory findings. However, centrality of event theory is closely related how the negative event integrated into the self-concept, and therefore scientific support across different cultures is required as well as across qualitatively distinct negative events. The current study investigated the psychometric properties of the scale for Turkish culture with a confirmatory factor analytic approach to compare validity of various factor structures, on distinct negative event histories to cross-validate the factor structure across distinct samples. Method: A sample of 340 undergraduate students completed Turkish versions of Centrality of Event Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Checklist-Civilian version, and Beck Depression Inventory. Results: Confirmatory factory analyses and measurement invariance tests revealed that the short version of CES with a single factor solution is a valid measure sample from Turkish culture and samples with distinct negative event histories. Conclusion: The results revealed that the short form of the scale to be a reliable and valid instrument for Turkish culture.