Citation

Freedenthal SL. Arch. Suicide Res. 2008; 12(4): 277-298.

Affiliation

University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, International Academy of Suicide Research, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13811110802324698

PMID

18828032

Abstract

This analysis drew from decades of published research to evaluate the Suicide Intent Scale (SIS), the dominant research tool for assessing intent to die in apparent suicide attempts. The review sought to 1) synthesize findings related to the scale's normative scores, reliability, and validity (factorial, convergent, and predictive), and 2) examine the objective and subjective subscales' performance. A literature search yielded 158 studies reporting findings for the SIS. Psychometric properties were summarized. Studies supported the scale's reliability, especially that of the subscale assessing self-reported (versus circumstantial indicators) of intent. Mixed findings emerged regarding convergent and predictive validity. The review identified shortcomings in factorial validity and the subscales' performance, especially for adolescents. The Suicide Intent Scale has some strengths, but the weaknesses require further investigation into how to better measure intent to die in attempted suicide.

Language: en