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A brief new measure of trauma, relationship security, and affect across the lifespan: Development and initial validation of the Lifespan Negative Experiences Scale (LiNES)

Background. Negative experiences across the lifespan – particularly interpersonal trauma (e.g., abuse/neglect), negative affective states (e.g., feeling afraid or anxious), and relationship insecurity (e.g., not feeling secure) have been associated with a range of adverse physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. However, negative previous life experiences are not always assessed when people present to services, particularly physical health services, and there are problems with existing measures, which are long and intrusive, and only ask about either current or childhood experiences without capturing other factors likely to affect resilience. Methods. Based on existing research, items were generated for a new measure called the Lifespan Negative Experiences Scale (LiNES), which was designed to retrospectively assess experiences of interpersonal trauma, relationship security, and affect at three developmental stages – childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Principal components analysis and regression were used to refine and validate the LiNES using data from a non-clinical sample. Results. The final version of the LiNES contains 13 items, optionally used to ask about three developmental stages. It was found to be reliable and valid. In addition, LiNES scores at each developmental stage significantly predicted both physical symptom reporting and emotional processing difficulties in adulthood. Conclusions. The LiNES is a brief new measure of negative life experiences capable of retrospectively capturing data from three developmental stages. This study provides an initial indication, based on non-clinical data, that the LiNES could be relevant in a range of settings, including physical and mental health settings, and for future research applications.