Measuring attitudes towards suicide: Preliminary evaluation of an attitude towards suicide scale

Abstract Objectives Our study aimed to validate a previously published scale assessing attitudes towards suicide. Factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and predictive validity were investigated. Method Adult German participants ( N = 503; mean age = 24.74 years; age range = 18–67 y...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comprehensive psychiatry 2017-01, Vol.72, p.56-65
Main Authors: Cwik, Jan Christopher, Till, Benedikt, Bieda, Angela, Blackwell, Simon E, Walter, Carolin, Teismann, Tobias
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Attitude
Attitudes
Female
Germany - epidemiology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Psychiatry
Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data
Questionnaires
Reproducibility of Results
Studies
Suicide - psychology
Suicides & suicide attempts
Surveys and Questionnaires - standards
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Objectives Our study aimed to validate a previously published scale assessing attitudes towards suicide. Factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and predictive validity were investigated. Method Adult German participants ( N = 503; mean age = 24.74 years; age range = 18–67 years) anonymously completed a set of questionnaires. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and incongruous items were deleted. Subsequently, scale properties of the reduced scale and its construct validity were analyzed. A confirmatory factor analysis was then conducted in an independent sample ( N = 266; mean age = 28.77 years; age range = 18–88 years) to further confirm the factor structure of the questionnaire. Results Parallel Analysis indicated a three-factor solution, which was also supported by confirmatory factor analysis: right to commit suicide, interpersonal gesture and resilience. The subscales demonstrated acceptable construct and discriminant validity. Cronbach's α for the subscales ranged from 0.67 to 0.83, explaining 49.70% of the total variance. Conclusions Positive attitudes towards suicide proved to be predictive of suicide risk status, providing preliminary evidence for the utility of the scale. Future studies aiming to reproduce the factor structure in a more heterogeneous sample are warranted.
ISSN:0010-440X
1532-8384
DOI:10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.09.008