PSYCHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCALE FOR SUICIDE IDEATION WITH PSYCHIATRIC OUTPATIENTS

The psychometric properties of the Scale for Suicide Ideation-Current (SSI-C; Beck, Kovacs & Weissman, 1979, Journal of Consulting and Clini cal Psychology, 47, 343-352) and the Scale for Suicide Ideation-Worst (SSI-W; Beck, Brown, Steer, Dahlsgaard & Grisham, 1997, in press) were explored. These 19-item clinician-administered scales measure current suicide ideation (SSI-C) as well as suicide ideation at its worst poi nt in the patient's life (SSI-W). For a sample of 4063 outpatients, bo th scales were positively correlated with a diagnosis of a principal m ood disorder, a diagnosis of a personality disorder, and measures of d epression and hopelessness. The relationship between the SSI-W and a h istory of suicide attempts was stronger (r = 0.50, P < 0.001) than the relationship between the SSI-C and previous suicide attempts (r = 0.3 1, P < 0.001). For 444 current and 1764 past suicide ideators, the SSI -C and the SSI-W had high internal consistencies (coefficient alpha s = 0.84 and 0.89, respectively). The SSI-C and the SSI-W were moderated ly correlated with each other (r = 0.51, P < 0.001). Iterated maximum- likelihood principal-factor analyses identified comparable Preparation and Motivation dimensions underlying both scales. (C) 1997 Elsevier S cience Ltd.