The Preference to Avoid Self-Experiences Scale: Validation and Association With Complex PTSD and Dissociation

Purpose: We examined whether preference to avoid self-experiences (PASE), a newly proposed concept informed by the literature on dissociative phobias and experiential avoidance, can be validly measured and whether it is associated with trauma-related mental health problems. Methods: A total of 766 college students in Taiwan completed standardized questionnaires. Results: PASE, defined as the attitude to avoid one's own experiences, could be reliably and validly measured using a newly developed 17-item PASE scale. PASE had the strongest association with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, disturbances in self-organization, and dissociation, above and beyond the effects of childhood trauma and other well-documented psychological predictors (including conventional measures of experiential avoidance). Discussion: PASE is a reliable and valid construct associated with trauma-related psychopathology. Replication of our results is necessary. We propose that interventions aimed at cultivating self-compassion and reducing one's PASE might be crucial for preventing and treating trauma-related symptoms.