Chinese version of the positive and negative suicide ideation: instrument development

This paper is a report of a study conducted to develop a Chinese version of the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory and evaluate its psychometric properties.

Comprehensive assessment of suicidal behaviour in youths should incorporate both protective factors and risk factors.

We recruited 2341 middle- and high-school students for a longitudinal and prospective study, conducted between 2005 and 2007. To assess predictive validity, a convenience sample of 251 of the 2341 students was recruited 1 year later to follow-up on suicide attempts during the preceding 2 weeks. To evaluate construct validity, a small convenience sample of 94 adolescent inpatients and outpatients was used as a comparison group. Instruments used included the Children's Depression Inventory, the Self-Control Schedule, and the Cognitive Triad for Children.

Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the Chinese version of the positive and negative suicide ideation-negative suicide ideation and the Chinese version of the positive and negative suicide ideation-positive ideation were 0.94 and 0.86 respectively. Satisfactory test-retest reliability was evident. Convergent and divergent validities were demonstrated by statistically significant correlations among subscales and the other instruments used. Construct validity was evidenced by statistically significantly different scores on the subscales among the contrasted groups. Subscale scores in the first-wave study statistically significantly predicted attempted suicide behaviour 1 year later, demonstrating evidence of predictive validity. Factor analysis showed a two-factor structure.

The Chinese Version of the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory may be a reliable and valid instrument to measure the severity of suicidal ideation in adolescents, subject to further research to test the generalizability of the present findings.