Citation

Ploderl M, Tremblay P, Yazdi K, Kralovec K, Rohrer RR, Fartacek R. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 86.

Affiliation

Suicide Prevention Research Program, Institute for Public Health, Paracelsus Private Medical University; Department for Suicide Prevention, University Clinic for Psychiatry I, Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Ignaz Harrerstrasse 79, 5020 Salzburg, Austria. m.plo

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16964006

Abstract

Surveys often solicit "suicide attempt" information with single-item questions such as "Have you ever attempted suicide?". The validity of this approach is doubtful given reports of false positive suicide attempts: individuals who only thought about or planned a suicide attempt, or had no intent to die. Aborted attempts have rarely been explored separately from suicide attempts, and studies have yet to identify false negative (unreported) attempts. One version of our study questionnaire explored the validity of "single-item" self-reported suicide attempts. Follow-up questions (event description, intent to die, etc.) were used to identify false positive/negative reports of attempting suicide. A second version of the questionnaire explored possible improvements in the "single-item" validity if preceded by questions related to suicide ideation and aborted suicide attempts. Of the 1400 Austrian nonclinical adults who received one of the questionnaire's two versions, a return rate of 80% (1118) was achieved. About 50% of individuals reporting having attempted suicide in the first version were classified as false positives, with few false negative suicide attempters (1%). The version with preliminary questions produced fewer false positives and more false negatives, the differences being nonsignificant. Both questionnaires lacked validity. Based on these results, we recommend using detailed probing questions.

Language: en