Table 1.

Item revisions to IES scale items based on cognitive interviewing feedback.

Original item	Identified problem	Revised item
I’ve intentionally given myself space and time to refocus on my experience	The phrasing “given myself space and time” was noted to be ambiguous	I’ve given myself mental space to reconnect to the experience
I’ve read books relating to my experience	Too specific; information intake other than reading may also be helpful	I’ve read, viewed, or listened to informative content relevant to my experience
I’ve communicated about my experience to further my personal growth	The nature of communication was not specified to be helpful to successful integration	I’ve gained insight on my experience through talking with supportive people
I’ve intentionally spent time in nature	The word “intentionally” led many participants to disagree—though they had spent time in nature in a way beneficial to their integration	I’ve spent time in nature to nurture my experience
I’ve taken concrete actions derived from the awareness gained from my experience	The phrase “concrete actions” was overly specific and item was unnecessarily wordy	I’ve applied learnings from my experience to my life
I’ve translated my growth following the experience into supportiveness of others	Unnecessarily verbose wording led participants rereading the question and deliberating on the meaning	I’ve been supportive of others as a result of my experience