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Development and validation of the A ssessment for R epeated S uicide
Author(s) -
Yeh Andrew WeiChiang,
Hung ChiFa,
Lee Yu,
Lin PaoYen,
Chiu NienMu,
Huang TsanYu,
Hsu SuTing,
Lee ChunYi,
Chen ChienChih,
Lin HuangChi,
Chong MianYoon
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
asia‐pacific psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.654
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1758-5872
pISSN - 1758-5864
DOI - 10.1111/j.1758-5872.2011.00165.x
Subject(s) - suicidal ideation , construct validity , predictive validity , clinical psychology , psychology , scale (ratio) , suicide attempt , reliability (semiconductor) , concurrent validity , emergency department , psychiatry , poison control , suicide prevention , internal consistency , psychometrics , medicine , medical emergency , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
This study developed and validated a multidimensional measure, the A ssessment for R epeated S uicide ( ARS ), to assess suicide risk and predict future suicidal attempts within psychiatric populations who have previously attempted suicide. Methods A prospective case‐control study was conducted in a medical center between A ugust 2004 and J uly 2007. Two stages were involved. Stage 1 involved the development of a 20‐item scale, the ARS , which was derived from 70 items based on expert validation. The 20‐item scale was then administered on suicide attempters enlisted from the emergency department (suicidal group) and non‐suicide attempters who were from the outpatient and inpatient units of the psychiatry department (control group). The factor structure of the new scale encompassing reliability and validity, were assessed. Stage 2 assessed the predictive validity of the ARS instrument at a one‐year follow‐up. Results Psychometric analyses indicated that the new scale, the ARS consisted of 19 items and had a four‐factor structure. Construct validity, concurrent validity and criterion validity were found to be good, and internal consistency and reliability were found to be satisfactory. The ARS itself and the subscale negative ideation were identified as useful predictors of suicide re‐attempts. Discussion The ARS is a valid instrument for assessing the risk of suicide attempts and re‐attempts. It has the advantage of integrating important psychological factors that are associated with suicide in the form of clinical interviews.