The Hopelessness Scale and social desirability: more data and a contribution from the irrational beliefs test

This paper presents findings with regard to social desirability confounding on Beck's Hopelessness Scale (Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974). Data from 60 suicidal and nonsuicidal psychiatric inpatients were examined in terms of the correlations between hopelessness scores and suicidality. Controlling for social desirability, as measured by the Marlowe-Crowne Scale (Crowne & Marlowe, 1964), did not affect this correlation substantially, nor did use of SD scores in a discriminant analysis improve accuracy of classification into severely suicidal and nonsuicidal groups. These results are in contrast with similar studies (e.g., Linehan & Nielsen, 1981) that used the Edwards SD scale. However, regression analysis of the MCSD scale using subscales of the Irrational Beliefs Test (Jones, 1969) raises the question as to whether the MCSD scale indeed is measuring SD, as opposed to some aspect or aspects of psychological adjustment.