Examining Factors Influencing the Differential Reporting of Suicide Attempt History Among Undergraduates at Elevated Suicide Risk

Abstract

Aim Prior studies suggest that individuals may respond inconsistently to different assessments of suicide attempt (SA) history; yet, little is known regarding why inconsistent reporting of SA history may occur. The overarching goal of this study was to examine individuals’ self-reported reasons for inconsistently responding to different self-report measures designed to assess SA history. Methods Young adults who reported a lifetime history of suicidal ideation (N = 141) completed three different self-report measures of SA history: the (1) Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS), (2) Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), and (3) Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview-Short Form (SITBI-SF). All measures were administered in a randomized order to control for potential order effects. Descriptive statistics were used to test study aims. Results Of the sample, 75% of participants denied an SA history across all three measures, 16% reported an SA history across all measures (“consistent responders”), and 9% responded inconsistently to SA history measures (“inconsistent responders”). Of the 9% (n = 12) of participants who inconsistently responded to SA history measures, the most commonly reported reasons for inconsistent reporting were that the definition of the term “attempt” was not made clear and that the participant did not read the SA history probes carefully. Conclusion Findings from this study underscore a need for increased efforts to improve SA history assessments. HIGHLIGHTS Some individuals may provide inconsistent responses across different suicide attempt measures. Confusion about the definition of a “suicide attempt” may lead to inconsistent responding. Further research is needed to improve our assessment of suicide attempt history.