Assessing Early Memories of Threat and Subordination: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Early Life Experiences Scale for Adolescents

Abstract

The Early Life Experiences Scale (ELES) is a self-report questionnaire that assesses personal feelings of perceived threat and submissiveness in interactions within family. This paper presents the adaptation and validation of the ELES in Portuguese language for adolescents. The sample was composed of 771 adolescents from community schools with ages between 13 and 18 years old. Along with ELES, participants also answered the Early Memories of Warmth and Safeness Scale and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children and Adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the factor structure of the ELES and results confirm a three-factor structure, composed by Threat, Submissiveness and Unvalued dimensions. These emotional memories focused on perceived threat, submissiveness and unvalued seem to have a distinct nature. The scale also showed adequate internal consistency, good test-retest reliability and convergent validity with measures of positive emotional memories, positive and negative affect. There were sex differences for threat subscale and age differences for submissiveness subscale. Overall, these findings suggest that the ELES in its Portuguese version for adolescents may be a useful tool for research, educational and clinical contexts with school-aged adolescents.

Self-Criticism and Depressive Symptoms Mediate the Relationship Between Emotional Experiences With Family and Peers and Self-Injury in Adolescence

“…In the present study, results from the descriptive analysis were in line with previous studies that suggest females are more vulnerable to experience internalizing symptoms than males (e.g., Turner et al, 2013;Xavier et al, 2016). In addition, current results suggest that during middle adolescence (14-15 years of age), individuals experience higher levels of self-hatred and depressive symptoms, when compared with early adolescence (12-13 years of age).…”

“…However, the recall of how one felt in relation to parents' behaviors, more than the recall of parental actual behavior, seems to play a relevant role on psychological mal-adjustment (Gilbert, Cheung, Grandfield, Campey, & Irons, 2003;Irons, Gilbert, Baldwin, Baccus, & Palmer, 2006;Pinto-Gouveia, Xavier, & Cunha, 2016). Memories of feeling rejected, threatened, subordinated and devalued are some of the most powerful elicitors of stress responses and are linked to self-criticism and depression (Gilbert et al, 2003;Irons et al, 2006).…”

The Indirect Effect of Early Experiences on Deliberate Self-Harm in Adolescence: Mediation by Negative Emotional States and Moderation by Daily Peer Hassles

“…Therefore, our findings converge on the notion that DSH may serve as an affectregulation function, since adolescents may engage in these behaviors in an attempt to reduce or avoid a negative stimulus (e.g., negative affect) and to cope with day-to-day stressful peer experiences, albeit in a maladaptive way (i.e., automatic function) (Chapman et al, 2006;Marshall et al, 2013;Nock, 2010;Nock & Prinstein, 2004, 2005. Although stressful life experiences and negative emotional states have been previously demonstrated to confer risk for DSH (Kaess et al, 2013;Madge et al, 2011;Xavier et al, 2015), the current study advances the literature by identifying that the link between negative affect from early threatening experiences and DSH is exacerbated by the presence of moderate and high levels of daily peer hassles. Thus, the effect of negative affect on DSH seems to be particularly augmented for those adolescents who perceive greater daily hassles with their friends and peers.…”

“…The original version presented good internal consistency for the ELES total score (α = .92) and for its subscales (ranging between .71 and .89) (Gilbert et al, 2003). The Portuguese version for adolescents also presented internal reliability for total score (α = .86) and subscales (.68 to .77) (Pinto-Gouveia et al, 2015). In the current study only the total score was used and the total scale presented good internal consistency (α = .87).…”

“…Such internal representations of self and others may drastically impact on emotional, attentional and cognitive processing and social behavior (Bowlby, 1969;Gilbert, 2007;Mikulincer & Shaver, 2005). Thus, this individual tends to be overly attentive and sensitive to threats and, consequently, may be more vulnerable to developing mental health problems, such as depression, social anxiety, paranoia, shame and DSH (Castilho, Pinto-Gouveia, Amaral, & Duarte, 2012;Gilbert, 2000;Gilbert et al, 2003;Gilbert & Irons, 2009;Matos, Pinto-Gouveia, & Costa, 2011;Pinto-Gouveia, Matos, Castilho, & Xavier, 2012;Xavier, Cunha, & Pinto-Gouveia, 2015).…”