A psychometric investigation of the Suicide Status Form II with a psychiatric inpatient sample.

We investigated the psychometric validity and reliability of the Suicide Status Form-II (SSF-II) developed by Jobes, Jacoby, Cimbolic, and Hustead (1997). Participants were 149 psychiatric inpatients (108 suicidal; 41 nonsuicidal) at the Mayo Clinic. Each participant completed assessment measures within 24 hours of admission and 48-72 hours later. Factor analyses of the SSF core assessment produced a robust two-factor solution reflecting chronic and acute response styles. The SSF core assessment had good to excellent convergent and criterion validity; pre-post SSF ratings also demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability. The results replicated previous research and show that the SSF-II is psychometrically sound with a high-risk suicidal inpatient sample.

A Taxonomy of medical comorbidity for veterans who are homeless.

Homeless veterans have numerous medical and behavioral health problems. Grouping homeless people based on comorbidity patterns may assist in determining severity of illness and triaging health care more effectively. We sought to determine if a finite number of profiles could be identified related to demographic characteristics, living situation, length of homelessness, and referral areas using interview data from 2,733 veterans who were presently or recently homeless. We considered 12 disorders: eye problems, hypertension, cardiovascular problems, COPD/emphysema, tuberculosis, gastrointestinal problems, hepatic disease, neurologic disorders, orthopedic problems, skin problems, and trauma. Ratings were evaluated using cluster analysis. Comparison statistics were used to compare intercluster differences in demographics, homeless situation, and referral recommendations. A four-cluster solution is proposed: generalized illness, hepatic disease, lung disease, and neurologic disorder. Medical health problems are common and heterogeneous in homeless individuals. Classifications of these problems may be useful in planning treatment and predicting outcome.

An investigation of interpersonal-psychological variables in air force suicides: a controlled-comparison study.

Joiner's (2005) theory attributes suicide to an individual's acquired capability to enact self-harm, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness. This study evaluated whether Joiner's theory could differentiate United States (US) Air Force (AF) personnel (n = 60) who died by suicide from a living active duty AF personnel comparison sample (n = 122). Responses from AF personnel on several scales assessing Joiner's constructs were compared to data from a random sample of postmortem investigatory files of AF personnel who died by suicide between 1996-2006. This research also introduced a newly designed measure, the Interpersonal-Psychological Survey (IPS), designed to assess the three components of Joiner's theory in one, easy-to-administer instrument. Analyses of the psychometric properties of the IPS support initial validation efforts to establish this scale as a predictive measure for suicide. Findings support that one's score on the Acquired Capability to Commit Suicide subscale of the IPS and the IPS overall score reliably distinguished between the two groups. The implications of these findings in relation to suicide prevention efforts in the US military are discussed.