The scale consists of 19 items scored from 0 to 2.
scale =
= SUM(points for all 19 items)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 38
• A higher score indicates a greater intention or ideation for suicide.
Item subsets can be used to identify 3 factors associated with suicide risk (Table 4, page 350, scores > 0.50):
• Active suicidal desire (10 items: wish to live, wish to die, reasons, desire for active attempt, passive desire, duration, frequency, attitude toward thoughts, deterrents, reason, expectancy)
• Specific plans (3 items: method planning, method opportunity, actual preparation)
• Passive suicidal desire (3 items: passive suicide desire, sense of capability, deception/concealment)
Performance:
• inter-rater reliability: 83%
• internal reliability with Cronbach's alpha: 89%
• findings correlate well with other measures of depression
