Development and Initial Validation of the Response to Suicidal Ideation Inventory (RSII).

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Mental Health Research
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Young adults (18-29 years old) frequently experience difficulties managing suicide crises.
• Coping mechanisms employed by young adults during suicidal ideation (SI) remain under-researched.
• Understanding these responses is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically evaluate a new measure, the Response to Suicide Ideation Inventory (RSII).
• To quantify the ways young adults respond to suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs).
• To assess the initial psychometric properties of the RSII.

Main Methods:

• A preliminary 79-item item set for the RSII was developed using inductive and deductive approaches.
• 491 young adults (aged 18-29) completed the RSII and other validated questionnaires.
• Assessments included content validity, general coping, emotion dysregulation, history of STBs, reasons for living, and future STB expectations.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis supported a 43-item, seven-factor solution for the RSII.
• The RSII demonstrated acceptable reliability and preliminary content validity.
• RSII subscales showed positive correlations with general coping and weak associations with emotion dysregulation and suicide resilience.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the refinement of the RSII for measuring young adults' responses to SI.
• Further exploration of response strategies can enhance understanding and prediction of SI severity fluctuations.
• The RSII has the potential to inform targeted support for young adults in crisis.