Validación de la Escala Razones Para Vivir en Consultantes a Salud Mental de la Región Metropolitana de Chile

Abstract

The aim of the study was to validate the Reasons for Living (RFL) Inventory in Chile, using a purposive and consecutive sample of 705 mental health patients in the Metropolitan Region. The RFL scale assesses the importance ascribed to reasons for living when contemplating suicide. The factorial structure of the scale was analyzed through exploratory and confirmatory analysis of the original instrument. Internal consistency, construct validity, and concurrent validity were studied and score parameters were defined. The suggested cut-off point for Chile is 4.1, which means that lower scores indicate a higher probability of suicide risk. Sensitivity was estimated at 62.1% and specificity at 66%, which is considered to be acceptable, given the high incidence of false negatives and positives. The result of the evaluation warns health professionals to clinically investigate the suicide risk detected when administering the instrument. Additionally, results highlight the adaptive and therapeutic potential of the reasons to stay alive for the treatment of depressive patients who are contemplating suicide.