I Am > Trauma: Experimentally Reducing Event Centrality and PTSD Symptoms in a Clinical Trial
Abstract
Event centrality has been one of the strongest predictors of PTSD symptoms. We attempted to experimentally reduce event centrality using a modified version of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in a sample of traumatized participants from a community outreach center. Relative to a control group, participants who received ACT evidenced significant decreases in PTSD symptoms, depression, and event centrality. A mediation analysis revealed that the effect of condition on PTSD symptoms was mediated by decreases in event centrality. Only the effect of condition on depression was still significant at six weeks posttreatment. This study is the first to manipulate event centrality and suggests that components of ACT may be effective at reducing event centrality.
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Boals and Murrell (2016) compared a four-session ACT group protocol focusing on self-as-context combined with treatment-as-usual to four sessions of treatment-as-usual alone in a randomized controlled trial of primarily women receiving services in a community outreach center for violence and abuse.
“In a randomized controlled trial of primarily women receiving services in a community outreach center for violence and abuse, Boals and Murrell (2016) compared a four session ACT group protocol focusing on self-as-context combined with treatment-as-usual to four sessions of treatment-as-usual alone.”
From Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for PTSD in a HMO Psychiatry Clinic: An Open Trial (2024) · cites this paper as Boals and Murrell, 2016
At 6-week follow-up in Boals and Murrell (2016), only depressive symptoms were still significantly lower with a small effect size in ACT versus control group participants.
“At 6-week follow up, only depressive symptoms were still significantly lower with a small effect size in ACT versus control group participants.”
From Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for PTSD in a HMO Psychiatry Clinic: An Open Trial (2024) · cites this paper as Boals and Murrell, 2016
Participants who received the ACT group therapy in Boals and Murrell (2016) reported reductions in event centrality, PTSD symptoms, and depression with medium effect sizes at posttreatment relative to control participants.
“Participants who received the ACT group therapy reported reductions in event centrality, PTSD symptoms and depression with medium effect sizes at posttreatment relative to control participants.”
From Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for PTSD in a HMO Psychiatry Clinic: An Open Trial (2024) · cites this paper as Boals and Murrell, 2016
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“However, in a recent experimental study on the effect of manipulating centrality, Boals and Murrell (2016) found a reduction in event centrality and PTSD symptoms from pre- to posttreatment, but this reduction did not hold 6 weeks later.”
BackgroundA Call for Intervention Research to Reduce Event Centrality in Trauma-Exposed Individuals
Boals, A., Griffith, E., & Southard-Dobbs, S. (2020) · Journal of Loss and Trauma · doi:10.1080/15325024.2020.1734744 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“To our knowledge, only two studies have examined self-as-context and PTSS (Boals et al., 2015; Boals & Murrell, 2016).”
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“…of previous RCTs testing the effects of ACT relative to waitlist and active comparison interventions (Muscara et al., 2020; Dindo et al., 2020; Boals and Murrell, 2016) and a meta-analysis on the effects of ACT in a range of study designs (Gloster et al., 2020) produced a mean overall medium…”
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“Boals and Murrell (2016) used an ACT-based intervention that included SAC to target event centrality.”
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A NEW LOOK AT THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE CENTRALITY OF EVENT SCALE
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Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for PTSD in a HMO Psychiatry Clinic: An Open Trial
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“Recently, researchers have tested interventions aimed at decentering a traumatic event to ameliorate symptoms of PTSD (e.g., Boals & Murrell, 2016); however, these studies were performed with direct survivors of trauma.”
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Institutional Reactions to Trigger Warning Requests: Thoughts on Kimble et al.
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“Heightened trauma centrality is more predictive of PTSD than exposure to the initial event itself (Bernard et al., 2015), and reducing this factor in psychotherapy reduces PTSD symptoms (Boals & Murrell, 2016).”
Centrality of Traumatic Events: Double Edged Sword or Matter of Valence?
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“Most cognitive therapies aim to alter narrative interpretations of traumatic events [70].”
BackgroundSimilar minds in the family: COVID ‐19 centrality and relationship quality
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Validierung der deutschen Übersetzung der Centrality of Event Scale (CES-G)
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Revisiting the Factor Structure of the Centrality of Event Scale
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“Boals and Murrell (2016) found that psychotherapy that reduced trauma centrality mediated decreases in PTSD symptoms.”
ACT for Anxiety and Trauma-Related Disorders
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The Role of Self-Compassion in Posttraumatic Growth
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“This is consistent with prior research on trauma exposure and event centrality (Barton, Boals, & Knowles, 2013; Bernard, Whittles, Kertz & Burke, 2015; Boals & Murrell, 2016).”
Acceptance-based behavioral therapy for PTSD
Coe, E., Batten, S. V., & Meyer, E. C. (2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-816022-0.00019-3
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“Other mindfulness-driven approaches, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT), and Mantram Repetition Programs (MRP), also show utility in reducing PTSD severity (Boals, 2016; Bormann, 2005, 2020, 2014, 2018, 2013, 2008; Price, 2018).”
Gette, J. A., Prakash, K., Saraiya, T. C., Blakey, S. M., & Hien, D. A. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-57159-6_78-1
Zhao, C., Ren, Z., Levin, M. E., Lai, L., & Chen, J. (2026) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008066.2026.2702140
Weitere wissenschaftlich fundierte Psychotherapiemethoden und -verfahren
Rief, W., Schramm, E., & Strauss, B. M. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-3-437-21352-6.00034-1
- Authors
- Boals, A., & Murrell, A. R.
- Affiliations
- University of North Texas (US)
- Corresponding author
- Boals, Adriel
- ORCID
- Boals, Adriel
- Venue
- Journal of Loss and Trauma
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-01-12
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 471-483
- ISSN
- 1532-5024 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-5032
- OpenAlex
- W2238378815
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 5 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 8.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Loss and Trauma (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- We would like to thank the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health for their generous research grant (JRG-046), which made this research study possible.
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- event centrality, post-traumatic stress disorder, acceptance and commitment therapy, trauma, depression, PTSD symptom reduction, mediation, community outreach
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