Psychometric properties of the 7-item version of the Concise Health Risk Tracking Self-Report Scale for rural adults...

Monitoring suicide risk in clinical practice requires valid and reliable assessment instruments. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the 7-item version of the Concise Health Risk Tracking Self-Report, CHRT-SR₇ in a primarily rural population.

The sample comprised 788 participants (81.7% female) of an effectiveness trial of an internet-based self-help intervention for depression. Participants completed self-report questionnaires, including the CHRT-SR₇ , Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Work and Social Adjustment Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10, and Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Care. Four-week test-retest reliability was calculated for a subsample of 147 participants randomized to a waitlist control group.

The CHRT-SR₇ internal consistency was α = 0.80 (total sample), α = 0.80 (women), and α = 0.83 (men). The 4-week test-retest reliability was strong for women (r = 0.78) and moderate for men (r = 0.66). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original 3-factor solution: Hopelessness (2 items), Perceived Lack of Social Support (2 items), and Current Suicidal Thoughts and Plans (3 items), which was invariant across gender and rural status. Convergent and divergent validity was supported as reflected in significant correlations of the CHRT-SR₇ and its subscales with measures of depression, anxiety, adjustment, and resilience. Limitations include the limited demographic diversity (mostly non-Hispanic White women) and reliance on self-report data.

Our findings complement those reported in prior studies of patients with severe depression and support the use of the CHRT-SR₇ for measuring suicide risk in rural adults; future studies should further test the instrument's psychometric properties in racial or ethnic minority rural residents.