ABSTRACT

The measurement of self-reported suicide risk can be complicated in medical settings due to patient apprehension about the potential consequences of self-disclosure. The Suicide Cognitions Scale (SCS) was designed to assess suicide risk by measuring a range of suicidogenic cognitions (e.g., hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness) collectively referred to as the suicidal belief system. The SCS’s concurrent, known groups, and prospective validity for suicidal thoughts and behaviors have previously been supported. The present study examined the factor structure, known-groups, and concurrent validity of a revised, 16-item version of the SCS (SCS-R), which removed two items that explicitly used the word “suicide” and changed item scoring from a 1–5 to 0–4 scale, thereby improving the interpretation of scores. In a sample of 2,690 primary care patients presenting for routine medical care at one of six US military clinics, results of bifactor analysis supported the scale’s unidimensionality. The SCS-R significantly differentiated participants with a history of suicide attempts and was significantly correlated with frequency of thoughts about death and self-harm during the previous 2 weeks. Results align with earlier research and provide psychometric support for the SCS-R.

摘要

由于患者担心自我披露的潜在后果，因此在医疗环境中测量自我报告的自杀风险可能会很复杂。自杀认知量表 (SCS) 旨在通过测量一系列统称为自杀信念系统的自杀认知（例如，绝望、感知负担）来评估自杀风险。SCS 的并发、已知组以及对自杀想法和行为的预期有效性先前已得到支持。本研究检查了 SCS 修订版 16 项版本 (SCS-R) 的因子结构、已知组和同时效度，该版本删除了两个明确使用“自杀”一词的项目，并将项目评分从1-5 到 0-4 的比例，从而提高分数的解释。在 2 个样本中，690 名初级保健患者在美国六家军事诊所之一就诊，双因素分析结果支持量表的单维性。SCS-R 显着区分了有自杀企图史的参与者，并且与过去两周内关于死亡和自残的想法频率显着相关。结果与早期研究一致，并为 SCS-R 提供心理测量支持。