PSYCHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SELF-EXPRESSION AND CONTROL SCALEIN A SAMPLE OF RECURRENT SUICIDE ATTEMPTERS

The Self-Expression and Control Scale (SECS), constructed to investiga te the role of anger expression and anger control in somatic and menta l diseases, was administered to patients with recurrent suicide attemp ts. The psychometric properties of the SECS proved to be highly accept able and comparable with the psychometric properties of the instrument administered to a community sample. Suicide attempters scored higher on trait anger, higher on the internalization of anger and lower on bo th control of the internalization and the externalization of anger tha n controls in a community sample. Additionally, suicide attempters wit h a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder scored higher on the externalization of anger, and lower on both control of the internaliza tion and the externalization of anger than suicide attempters without this diagnosis. Finally, the subgroup of patients with a psychiatric d iagnosis of a ''recurrent deliberate self-harm'' scored higher on the internalization of anger than other patients with recurrent suicide at tempts. These results show that the SECS is able to make a distinction between several subgroups of suicide attempters, and between suicide attempters and persons in a community sample with respect to the expre ssion and control of anger. As such, the SECS can give indication for optimal psychotherapeutic treatment. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd.