Abstract
Objectives
This study aimed to validate the English version of the Preference to Avoid Self-Experiences (PASE) scale, which assesses the tendency and preference to disengage from internal states (e.g., emotions, thoughts, and memories)—a cognitive process hypothesized to play a central role in trauma-related psychopathology. We evaluated the scale’s psychometric properties and associations with PTSD, complex PTSD (CPTSD), dissociation, and disturbances in self-organization (DSO) within an international female sample.
Method
Data were collected from N = 995 female mental health service users across more than 25 countries. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing PASE, childhood trauma, PTSD/CPTSD symptoms, dissociation, and experiential avoidance. Psychometric validation and analyses included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, Rasch modeling, item reduction, measurement invariance testing, and multiple hierarchical regressions.
Results
The 19-item PASE emerged as a single-factor structure and demonstrated good model fit: X2(152) =724.548, p < .001; CFI = 0.989; TLI = 0.988; RMSEA = 0.080 (90% CI [0.074, 0.085]); SRMR = 0.058. Item fit statistics from the Partial Credit Model supported scale functioning (infit = .71–1.16, outfit = .70–1.32). Measurement invariance testing across Western and non-Western indicated equivalence (CFI = .989, TLI = .987, RMSEA = .082, SRMR = .064). PASE was significantly associated with PTSD
, dissociation , and DSO
symptoms after controlling for childhood trauma, experiential avoidance, and demographic variables, and emerged as the strongest predictor in all models.
Conclusion
The PASE Scale is a psychometrically valid and theoretically grounded tool that captures a distinct form and tendency of avoidance. Its consistent associations with trauma-related symptoms emphasize its clinical and conceptual relevance for research and intervention targeting trauma-related psychopathology.
