Use of the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) with adolescents

This study examined the utility of the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) by comparing results obtained with a sample of 217 normal adolescents (M = 16.2 years) to the findings obtained in Cull and Gill's (1988) standardization effort. The present sample scored significantly higher than Cull and Gill's normative sample in SPS item, subscale, and total scores. In addition, the SPS generally failed to discriminate between the present, adolescent sample and Cull and Gill's inpatient psychiatric sample. Moreover, item-subscale correlations obtained for the present sample often differed from those reported by Cull and Gill, and factor analysis of SPS item scores failed to replicate Cull and Gill's four-factor solution. Findings suggest the need for caution when using the SPS to assess adolescent suicide potential and underscore the need for additional research regarding the instrument's efficacy in distinguishing between normal and suicidal adolescents.