Citation

Rimkeviciene J, O'Gorman J, Hawgood J, De Leo D. Crisis 2019; ePub(ePub): 1-9.

Affiliation

Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Mt. Gravatt, QLD, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Publisher Hogrefe Publishing)

DOI

10.1027/0227-5910/a000567

PMID

30644776

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The detrimental consequences of stigma have been recognized in extensive research on mental illness stigma, but experiences of suicide-related stigmatization have not received sufficient research attention. The lack of a simple self-report assessment of personal suicide-related stigma led to the work reported here.

AIM: To develop and assess the validity of the Personal Suicide Stigma Questionnaire (PSSQ).

METHOD: The item pool for PSSQ was based on qualitative data and was tested in a community sample of 224 adults (mean age = 32.68 years, 83% female, 92.9% Caucasian) who reported lifetime suicidality. Factor analysis was used for item selection. The Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale - Short form (SSMIS-SF) and Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire - Revised (SBQ-R) were used to assess validity of the scale.

RESULTS: Following analysis, 16 items, forming three highly interrelated factors (Rejection, Minimization, and Self-blame), were selected for the PSSQ. The PSSQ scores showed predicted relationships with mental illness stigma and suicidality, suggesting its validity. LIMITATIONS: The validity of the scale still requires further research in clinical populations.

CONCLUSION: The newly developed PSSQ can be used to assess the levels of suicide-related stigma experiences of suicidal individuals.

Language: en

Keywords

attitudes; discrimination; self-stigma; stigmatization; suicide attempts