Citation

Turnell AI, Fassnacht DB, Batterham PJ, Calear AL, Kyrios M. J. Affect. Disord. 2018; 245: 779-787.

Affiliation

College of Education, Psychology & Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.047

PMID

30448763

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The "self" has been implicated in the development of a range of psychological disorders. While a growing body of literature has emerged exploring the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS), little research has been conducted on the construct of self-hate and its relationship with suicidal ideation. The aims of this study were to: 1) develop and validate a brief self-report instrument of self-hate; and, 2) explore the relationship between self-hate, suicidal ideation, and the two main factors of the IPTS, perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness.

METHODS: Initial development of the item pool involved an expert panel and the development of the Self-Hate Scale included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using a large community sample.

RESULTS: A 7-item Self-Hate Scale was developed, which exhibited a reliable unidimensional factor structure. High self-hate was found to predict suicidal ideation, while the relationship between low/moderate self-hate and suicidal ideation was partially moderated by the level of thwarted belongingness. The study provided limited evidence for the IPTS' main predictions. LIMITATIONS: While the current study provided support for the psychometric properties of the Self-Hate Scale, the scale will need to be replicated and validated using clinical populations.

CONCLUSIONS: The Self-Hate Scale is a brief, psychometrically valid measure of self-hate that has the potential to be useful in suicide risk assessment.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide; Perceived burdensomeness; Scale; Self-hate; Suicidal ideation; Thwarted belongingness