Assessment of Suicide Risk: Validation of the Nurses' Global Assessment of Suicide Risk Index for the Portuguese Population

Abstract

BackgroundMental health problems, particularly depression, are a major risk factor for suicide. Currently, there is no way to predict, with 100% accuracy, who will make a suicide attempt, but during a clinical interview, it is possible to assess the risk presented by each patient based on the investigation of risk and protective factors. The assessment of these factors helps health care professionals make decisions on the interventions to put into practice, thus contributing to reducing risk. The use of suicide risk assessment tools, properly validated for the population under consideration facilitate communication and information gathering, with clinical nurse specialists in mental health playing an important role. MethodBecause of the shortage of suicide risk assessment tools properly validated for the Portuguese population, it was our aim to translate, adapt and validate the Nurses Global Assessment of Suicide Risk (NGASR) for the Portuguese population. In this study, a questionnaire was applied to a sample of 109 patients with depressive symptoms and risk factors for suicidal behaviors. ResultsThe analysis of the results showed that most sample participants had a very high risk of suicide. The study of the psychometric properties of the NGASR showed moderate internal consistency and good content and criterion validity. Content validity, obtained through a panel of experts, was consensual. The NGASR index had good criterion validity, showing strong correlation with the SIQ, BDI and DASS-21 (R=0.830, p<0.05). The principal components analysis showed 6 factors, and the 15 predictive variables explained 66.92% of the total variance. ConclusionThese results are similar to those obtained in studies conducted in other countries and, therefore, the application of the NGASR is believed to be reliable for the Portuguese population.