Centrality of Event across Cultures - AU...
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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 0)9 10)19 20)29 30)39 40)49 Nega/ve Posi/ve Denmark 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 0)9 10)19 20)29 30)39 40)49 Nega/ve Posi/ve China 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 0)9 10)19 20)29 30)39 40)49 Nega/ve Posi/ve Greenland Centrality of Event across Cultures Emotionally positive and negative events in Mexico, China, Greenland, and Denmark Alejandra Zaragoza Scherman and Dorthe Berntsen Center on Autobiographical Memory Research (CON AMORE), Aarhus University During their lifetime, people experience both emotionally positive and negative events. The Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen and Rubin, 2006; Berntsen, Rubin and Siegler, 2011) measures the extent to which an event is central to someone’s identity and life story. An event becomes central when it is an important part of our identity and life story, when it changes the way we view the world in everyday life, and when we use it as a turning point in our life story. CES research has produced important findings regarding how the emotionality of a life event influences the way we incorporate an emotional event into our life story and our identity. Key findings: 1) Positive events are rated as more central to identity than negative events; 2) The extent to which highly traumatic and negative events become central to a person’s life story and identity varies as a function of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms: Participants with higher PTSD and depression scores reported that a traumatic or negative event was highly central to their identity and life story; and 3) A significant number of positive event occurred during participants’ adolescence and early adulthood, while negative events increased as participants grew older. Abstract Conclusions References Berntsen, D., & Rubin, D. C. (2006). The centrality of event scale: A measure of integrating a trauma into one's identity and its relation to post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44 (2), 219-231. Berntsen, D., Rubin, D. C., & Siegler, I. C. (2011). Two versions of life: Emotionally negative and positive life events have different roles in the organization of life story and identity. Emotion, 11 (5), 1190-1201. Method (1) Are positive events more central to identity and life stories than negative events? Do we find this positivity bias and self-enhancement across cultures? Are positive events more central to identity and life stories than negative events? • Participants • 565 adults over 40 years old, 65% females, from Mexico, Greenland, China, and Denmark • Mean age = 52.31, range 40-91 • Materials • Centrality of Event Scale (CES: Berntsen & Rubin, 2006) • 7-item Centrality of Event Scale for negative events • 7-item Centrality of Event Scale for positive events • Depression, PTSD, and Life Satisfaction • Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) • The PTSD Checklist, Civilian version (PCL-C) • Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) Do individuals who rate a negative event as highly central to Grant Number: DNRF93 (1) Positive events are more central to identity and life stories than negative events. (2) Centrality of negative events is associated with high scores depression and PTSD. (3) A significant number of positive events are life script events and therefore, they cluster between 15 to 30 years of age. Event Centrality Mexico Greenland China Denmark F Centrality of Positive Event Centrality of Negative Event M (SD) M (SD) M (SD) M (SD) 4.50 (0.70) 4.54 (0.62) 4.44 (0.64) 4.45 (0.59) 0.75 3.02 (1.26) 3.44 (1.00) 3.80 (0.98) 3.47 (1.08) 12.25** When do the most positive and the most negative events occur in life? 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 0)9 10)19 20)29 30)39 40)49 Nega/ve Posi/ve Mexico Age-at-event Percentage of events Key Questions What about cultural differences? (3) When do the most positive and the most negative events occur in life across cultures? Do we find that positive events are clustered during adolescence and early adulthood, following the life script? (2) Do individuals who rate a negative event as highly central to their identity and life stories experience more PTSD and depression and less life satisfaction across cultures? Do we find an association between depression, PTSD, and event centrality scores for negative events? their identity and life stories experience more PTSD and depression and less life satisfaction? 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve Depression across cultures CES Scores 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve CES-D Scores Mexico China Greenland Denmark Symptom Severity: 1.89 CES Type: 193.17** Interaction: 4.38** Symptom Severity: 6.72* CES Type: 169.94** Interaction: 9.84** Symptom Severity: 0.41 CES Type: 51.68** Interaction: 1.00 Symptom Severity: 0.13 CES Type: 102.74** Interaction: 0.46 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve CES Scores Mexico China Greenland Denmark Symptom Severity: 6.84* CES Type: 217.08** Interaction: 6.84* Symptom Severity: 0.86 CES Type: 158.75** Interaction: 4.85* Symptom Severity: 3.37 CES Type: 44.51** Interaction: 6.33* Symptom Severity: 4.57* CES Type: 108.58** Interaction: 5.24* PCL-C Scores PTSD across cultures 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Low scores High scores CES Nega9ve CES Posi9ve CES Scores Mexico China Greenland Denmark Symptom Severity: 0.23 CES Type: 205.64** Interaction: 3.76 Symptom Severity: 1.16 CES Type: 172.93** Interaction: 13.31** Symptom Severity: 3.08 CES Type: 55.13** Interaction: 3.69 Symptom Severity: 0.02 CES Type: 109.36** Interaction: 2.64 Life Satisfaction across cultures SWLS Scores
Transcript of Centrality of Event across Cultures - AU...
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Centrality of Event across CulturesEmotionally positive and negative events in Mexico, China, Greenland, and Denmark
Alejandra Zaragoza Scherman and Dorthe BerntsenCenter on Autobiographical Memory Research (CON AMORE), Aarhus University
During their lifetime, people experience both emotionally positive and negative events. The Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen and Rubin, 2006; Berntsen, Rubin and Siegler, 2011) measures the extent to which an event is central to someone’s identity and life story. An event becomes central when it is an important part of our identity and life story, when it changes the way we view the world in everyday life, and when we use it as a turning point in our life story. CES research has produced important findings regarding how the emotionality of a life event influences the way we incorporate an emotional event into our life story and our identity. Key findings: 1) Positive events are rated as more central to identity than negative events; 2) The extent to which highly traumatic and negative events become central to a person’s life story and identity varies as a function of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms: Participants with higher PTSD and depression scores reported that a traumatic or negative event was highly central to their identity and life story; and 3) A significant number of positive event occurred during participants’ adolescence and early adulthood, while negative events increased as participants grew older.
Abstract
Conclusions References
Berntsen, D., & Rubin, D. C. (2006). The centrality of event scale: A measure of integrating a trauma into one's identity and its relation to post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(2), 219-231.
Berntsen, D., Rubin, D. C., & Siegler, I. C. (2011). Two versions of life: Emotionally negative and positive life events have different roles in the organization of life story and identity. Emotion, 11(5), 1190-1201.
Method
(1) Are positive events more central to identity and life stories than negative events? Do we find this positivity bias and self-enhancement across cultures?
Are positive events more central to identity and life stories than negative events?
• Participants
• 565 adults over 40 years old, 65% females, from Mexico, Greenland, China, and Denmark
•Mean age = 52.31, range 40-91
• Materials
•Centrality of Event Scale (CES: Berntsen & Rubin, 2006)
•7-item Centrality of Event Scale for negative events
•7-item Centrality of Event Scale for positive events
•Depression, PTSD, and Life Satisfaction
•Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)
•The PTSD Checklist, Civilian version (PCL-C)
•Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)
Do individuals who rate a negative event as highly central to
Grant Number: DNRF93
(1) Positive events are more central to identity and life stories than negative events.
(2) Centrality of negative events is associated with high scores depression and PTSD.
(3) A significant number of positive events are life script events and therefore, they cluster between 15 to 30 years of age.
Event Centrality Mexico Greenland China Denmark F
Centrality of Positive Event
Centrality of Negative Event
M (SD) M (SD) M (SD) M (SD)
4.50 (0.70) 4.54 (0.62) 4.44 (0.64) 4.45 (0.59) 0.75
3.02 (1.26) 3.44 (1.00) 3.80 (0.98) 3.47 (1.08) 12.25**
When do the most positive and the most negative events occur in life?
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Key Questions
What about cultural differences?
(3) When do the most positive and the most negative events occur in life across cultures? Do we find that positive events are clustered during adolescence and early adulthood, following the life script?
(2) Do individuals who rate a negative event as highly central to their identity and life stories experience more PTSD and depression and less life satisfaction across cultures? Do we find an association between depression, PTSD, and event centrality scores for negative events?
their identity and life stories experience more PTSD and
depression and less life satisfaction?
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Symptom Severity: 1.89CES Type: 193.17**Interaction: 4.38**
Symptom Severity: 6.72*CES Type: 169.94**Interaction: 9.84**
Symptom Severity: 0.41CES Type: 51.68**Interaction: 1.00
Symptom Severity: 0.13CES Type: 102.74**Interaction: 0.46
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Symptom Severity: 6.84*CES Type: 217.08**Interaction: 6.84*
Symptom Severity: 0.86CES Type: 158.75**Interaction: 4.85*
Symptom Severity: 3.37CES Type: 44.51**Interaction: 6.33*
Symptom Severity: 4.57*CES Type: 108.58**Interaction: 5.24*
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PTSD across cultures
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Symptom Severity: 0.23CES Type: 205.64**Interaction: 3.76
Symptom Severity: 1.16CES Type: 172.93**Interaction: 13.31**
Symptom Severity: 3.08CES Type: 55.13**Interaction: 3.69
Symptom Severity: 0.02CES Type: 109.36**Interaction: 2.64
Life Satisfaction across cultures
SWLS Scores
