The Persian version of the centrality of event scale (CES): Assessment of validity and reliability among Iranian university students

BACKGROUND: Event centrality, the extent to which an experience is perceived as a central event in one's life, has been found to be a strong correlate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The centrality of event scale (CES) is commonly used in different conditions and cultures to measure trauma‐related effects. However, the psychometric properties of this scale have not been investigated in the Iranian context. METHODS: The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Persian translation of the 7‐item CES in a sample of 525 university students with a history of a romantic breakup. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a one‐factor structure. The CES score was positively correlated with psychological inflexibility and PTSD symptoms. The measurement invariance analyses showed that the 7‐item CES is gender invariant and can be used for both men and women. FINDINGS: Findings supported the good psychometric properties of the 7‐item CES for measuring event centrality in Iranian university students.