Validation of the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI) in Brazilian Portuguese

Introduction: Experiencing trauma may entail psychopathological consequences, but also changes considered to be positive (i.e., posttraumatic growth). For positive change to occur, an impact on the beliefs of individuals is required, which may be measured through the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI). The objective of this study was to validate the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CBI. Methods: A total of 248 university students (65.7% female) answered the following assessment instruments: sociodemographic data sheet, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Posttraumatic Symptoms Checklist – Clinician Version (PCL-5) and the CBI. Psychometric properties of the CBI were assessed by conducting an exploratory factor analysis through a principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) and convergent validity (Pearson correlation between instruments) were also investigated. Results: The total scale showed adequate internal consistency (α = 0.83). A single factor solution explained 42.63% of the variance of the CBI. Significant correlations were found between CBI and PTGI, and between CBI and PCL-5. Conclusion: The psychometric properties indicated adequate internal consistency and construct validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CBI.


Introduction
It is expected that 40 to 90% of the population will experience at least one potentially traumatic event during their lifetime. 1 Surviving such events may result in different outcomes, the most cited in the literature being posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 2 PTSD prevalence in Brazil ranges from 7 to 11.7%, indicating an important public health problem. 3 However, most people seem to recover from traumatic events without developing symptoms or impairments, 4,5 while others experience a positive outcome, such as posttraumatic growth. 6 Posttraumatic growth is the perception of positive change experienced after a stressor, translating into improvements in interpersonal relationships, greater appreciation of life and redefinition of objectives and personal priorities. 7 Evidence of posttraumatic growth exists in victims of sexual abuse, 8 parents of children with terminal disease 9 and cancer patients, 10 There is no consensus in the literature regarding how the processes underlying PTSD and posttraumatic growth interact. While several authors argue that posttraumatic growth results from PTSD, [13][14][15] others believe that the processes coexist in a curvilinear relationship. [16][17][18][19][20] Regarding the occurrence of posttraumatic growth, the type of traumatic experience is less relevant than the degree to which the individual reassesses beliefs about the world, self and others. These beliefs guide behaviors, help understand the causes of daily events and shape the development of a general sense of meaning and purpose. 21 The discomfort raised by the conflict between previous beliefs and new and contradictory information is what leads individuals to generate more adaptive beliefs to a new reality, enabling them to acknowledge positive changes in their lives. 21

Method Participants
The sample consisted of 248 university students  Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) 7,32 The PTGI is a self-report instrument with 21 items scored over a 5-point Likert scale that assess interpretations or positive changes that a stressor triggered in the individual, such as "I trust myself more"

Sociodemographic data sheet
or "Now I know that I can deal with difficult situations." The original version comprises the following factors:

Results
The most recurrently cited stressful events were the   Table 2 shows inter-item and item-total CBI score correlations.

This is the first validation study of the Brazilian
Portuguese version of the CBI and, according to database searches, the first analysis of the psychometric properties of the CBI in a language other than English. Adequate    Convergent validity was investigated through correlations between the CBI and other instruments, namely: PTGI, which assesses posttraumatic growth; and PCL-5, which assesses posttraumatic symptoms. As in the normative original study, significant correlations were found between CBI and posttraumatic growth measures with greater intensity, and between CBI and posttraumatic symptoms with less intensity. 21 Associations between these variables were also found in other studies conducted with American student populations. 14,22 Longitudinal studies are necessary to effectively investigate how such interactions occur.
In the normative original study, the CBI was the only instrument predicting posttraumatic growth, while scales of well-being, life satisfaction and posttraumatic symptoms did not achieve the same effect. 21 Thus, it is evidently important for individuals to comprehend events as sufficient challenges to their beliefs, so that the processing of the experience may lead to posttraumatic growth. 21 The CBI is a novel instrument in the literature,

Disclosure
No conflicts of interest declared concerning the publication of this article.