French validation of the Core Beliefs Inventory and the Event-Related Rumination Inventory

Background: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is associated with two important cognitive factors: challenge to core beliefs and event-related rumination. The objectives of this study were to 1) validate the French versions of the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI, Cann et al., 2010) and the Event-Related Rumination Inventory (ERRI, Cann et al., 2011) and 2) explore direct and indirect effects of core beliefs and rumination on PTG in the long-term. Methods: A sample of adults (N = 433 at T1, N = 222 at T2, six months later) who had experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime completed online questionnaires measuring core beliefs, rumination, distress, and PTG. Confirmatory factor analyses, correlations, and structural equation modeling were performed. Results: Analyses supported a two-factor structure for the CBI: (1) beliefs about justice, control, and the causality of events and (2) beliefs about relationships, self, and the future; as well as for the ERRI: (1) intrusive rumination and (2) deliberate rumination. Both scales showed good psychometric qualities. Disruption of beliefs about relationships, self, and the future at T1 and deliberate rumination at T2 had a direct positive effect on PTG at T2, while intrusive rumination at T1 had no effect. Deliberate rumination mediated both the relationship between disruption of core beliefs and PTG and the relationship between intrusive rumination and PTG. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the validity of the CBI and ERRI and are consistent with the theoretical model emphasizing the importance of cognitive processing in the development of PTG.