MATOS, Marcela; PINTO-GOUVEIA, José    GOMES, Pedro. The centrality of shame experiences: Psychometric properties of the portuguese version of the Centrality of Event Scale (CES). []. , 24, 1, pp.73-95. ISSN 0874-2049.

The nature of shame experiences suggests they can function as traumatic and autobiographical memories, central to a person’s identity and life story, with an impact on the vulnerability to psychopathology. The current study explores the psychometric properties of the portuguese version of the Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen & Rubin, 2006) in a normal population sample of 811 subjects. Principal Components Analysis was conducted to examine construct validity. Results support the one dimensional structure underlying CES, explaining 59% of the variance. We found item-total correlations ranging from moderate to high (> .65) and a high internal consistency (α=.96), indicating an excellent reliability of the scale. Convergent and divergent validity was confirmed by the high correlations found with IES-R and by the moderate correlations with DASS Depression, Anxiety and Stress. The portuguese version of the CES seems to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure the extent to which shame traumatic memories form a central component to personal indentity, a turning point in the life story and a reference point to everyday interferences.

: CES; Centrality of Event Scale; psychometric properties; shame experiences.

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