Citation

Silva C, Smith PN, Rogers M, Joiner TE, Foote B, Van Orden KA. Crisis 2023; 44(5): 406-414.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Publisher Hogrefe Publishing)

DOI

10.1027/0227-5910/a000898

PMID

36762737

PMCID

PMC10412729

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Social disconnection is associated with all-cause mortality and suicide. Measures of social disconnection with reliable cut-off scores are needed to aid in the assessment of clinically significant change. Aims: The current study sought to identify reliable clinical cut-off scores for the 15-item Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ-15), which assesses two indices of social disconnection associated with suicide ideation - thwarted belonging (TB) and perceived burden (PB) on others.

METHODS: The INQ-15 and measures of suicide ideation were administered to psychiatric outpatients (N(sample1) = 493; N(sample2) = 213) and psychiatric inpatients (N(sample3) = 79; N(sample4) = 87).

RESULTS: Reliable cut-off scores discriminating between the presence and absence of suicide ideation were identified across samples (TB ≥ 36 for psychiatric outpatients and ≥ 32 for inpatients; PB ≥ 12 for both psychiatric outpatients and inpatients). Limitations: Data are cross-sectional; thus, conclusions cannot be made about the predictive utility of INQ scores for future suicide ideation, attempts, or death.

CONCLUSIONS: The INQ-15 yields scores with reliable cut-off scores for both TB and PB that represent clinically significant levels of social disconnection. These cut-off scores can be used in treatment trials and clinical practice to assess clinical improvement (or decline) in belonging and perceived burden.

Language: en

Keywords

*Inpatients/psychology; *Interpersonal Relations; clinical cut-off scores; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; perceived burden; Psychological Theory; Psychometrics; Risk Factors; Suicidal Ideation; Surveys and Questionnaires; thwarted belonging