Citation

Velting DM, Rathus JH, Asnis GM. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1998; 28(2): 187-196.

Affiliation

Department of Psychological Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306-0520, USA. dvelting@gw.bsu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9674078

Abstract

We present a typology of adolescents' most common explanations for discrepant reporting of suicidal behavior. Forty-eight adolescents provided attempt histories by completing a self-report measure of suicidality. A select number of items were subsequently readministered (average interval = 5 days) using a semistructured interview format. Discrepancies in reporting were found among 50% of the sample. Adolescents were also asked to clarify, using an open-ended format, what might have accounted for a particular discrepancy. Based on these responses, seven mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories were derived. High rates of interrater agreement indicated that these categories were reliable.