Psychometric Properties of Farsi Version of the Wish to be Dead Scale

Abstract

The Wish to be Dead Scale (WDS) is a new scale to measure precursors to suicidal ideation, and the aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric characteristics of a Farsi version of the WDS. The sample was a convenience sample of 145 Iranian female undergraduates and postgraduates selected from different faculties at Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Using a principal component analysis and a varimax rotation with Kaiser normalization, three factors were identified and labeled: (a) lack of purpose and usefulness in life, (b) lack of interest in living, and (c) fantasizing about being dead. The WDS had good inter-item and test–retest reliability and significant positive correlations with scores on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10 and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and negative correlations with scores on the Adult Hope Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Love of Life Scale, the Life Orientation Test, and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. We conclude that the WDS may prove to be useful in clinical practice and research into suicide.

Keywords

wish to be dead suicidal behaviors suicidal process

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abdel-Khalek

A. M.

(2007) Love of life as a new construct in the well-being domain. Social Behavior & Personality 35: 125–134.

Alipoor

Noorbala

(1999) A preliminary evaluation of the validity and reliability of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire in students in the universities of Tehran. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology 5(1/2): 55–66. (In Persian).

Argyle

Martin

(1995) Testing for stress and happiness: The role of social and cognitive factors. In: Spielberger

C. D.

Sarason

I. G.

(eds) Stress and emotion Vol. 15, Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis, pp. 173–187.

Atef Vahid, M. K., Dadfar, M., Abdel-Khalek, A. M., & Lester, D. (2016, submitted). Psychometric properties of Persian version of the Love of Life Scale (LLS). Manuscript submitted for publication.

Baumeister

R. F.

Campbell

J. D.

Krueger

J. I.

Vohs

K. D.

(2003) Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest 4: 1–44.

Dabiri

Delavar

Sarami

G. H. R.

(2011) The predictable role of self-esteem and parenting styles in happiness of students. Educational Psychology (Psychology and Educational Sciences) 7(20): 1–16. (In Persian).

Diener

Emmons

R. A.

Larsen

R. J.

Griffin

(1985) The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment 49: 71–75. (In Persian).

Ghafarian Shirazi

H. R.

Hosseini

Zoladl

Malekzadeh

Momeni

Noorian

Kh.

Mansorian

M. A.

(2012) Suicide in the Islamic Republic of Iran, an integrated analysis from 1981 to 2007. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal 18(6): 607–613.

Golzari

(2007) Validation of the Snyder’s Adult Hope Scale (AHS). Unpublished report, Tehran, Iran: Allameh Tabatabaei University(In Persian).

10.

Hadinezhad

Zaree

(2009) Reliability, validity, and normalization of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. Psychological Research 1(1/2): 62–77. (In Persian).

11.

Hosseini

Ghafarian Shirazi

Karimi

A. A.

Rezanejad

M. T.

Ghafarian Shirazi

H. R.

(2013) The study of committing suicide and its related factors in a control case study. Journal of American Science 9(8 suppl.): 9–14.

12.

Iranian Legal Medicine Organization. (2013). Statistical evaluation of abnormal deaths in Iran. Retrieved from www.lmo.ir.

13.

Jowkar

(2007) The mediator role of resilience in relation between emotional intelligence, general intelligence and life satisfaction. Contemporary Psychology 2(2): 4–12. (In Persian).

14.

Juhnke

G. A.

Granello

P. F.

Lebron-Striker

(2007) Is path warm? A suicide assessment mnemonic for counselors (Professional Counseling Digest, ACAPCD-03), Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

15.

Kajbaf

Oeeyzi

H. R.

Khodabakhshi

(2006) Standardization, reliability, and validity of Optimism Scale in Esfahan and a survey of relationship between optimism, self-mastery, and depression. Psychological Studies Faculty of Education and Psychology, Al-Zahra University 2(1/2): 51–68. (In Persian).

16.

Kermani

Khodapanahi

M. K.

Heidari

(2012) Psychometric properties of Snyder’s hope scale. Journal of Applied Psychology 5(3): 7–23. (In Persian).

17.

Kessler

R. C.

Barker

P. R.

Colpe

L. J.

Epstein

J. F.

Gfroerer

J. C.

Hiripi

Zaslavsky

A. M.

(2003) Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Archives of General Psychiatry 60: 184–189.

18.

Kiaeil

Abolghasem

S. H.

(2014) The relationship between quality of life, happiness and self-efficacy with drug craving glass consumer. Indian Journal of Fundamental & Applied Life Sciences 4(2): 70–75.

19.

Lester

(2013) A scale to measure the desire to be dead. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying 67: 323–327.

20.

Lester

McSwain

Gunn

J. F.

(2011) A test of the validity of the IS PATH WARM warning signs for suicide. Psychological Reports 108: 402–404.

21.

Lotfi Kashani

Vaziri

S. H.

Zeinolabedini

S. N.

Zeinolabedini

S. N.

(2014) Effectiveness of group hope therapy on decreasing psychological distress among women with breast cancer. Journal of Applied Psychology 7(4): 45–58. (In Persian).

22.

Marušic

Roškar

Sveti

I. J.

Zorko

(2012) Scales for assessing suicidal risk. In: Shrivastava

Kimbrell

Lester

(eds) Suicidal Behavior: Risk and Assessment, Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science, pp. 19–26.

23.

Mazloomy

M. S. S.

Mehri

Morowatisharifabad

M. A.

(2006) The relationship of health behavior with self-esteem and self-efficacy in students of Yazd Shahid Sadooghi University of Medical Sciences (2005). Strides in Development of Medical Education 3(2): 111–117. (In Persian).

24.

Moazedian

Pasha Sharifi

Mirhashemi

(2014) Effectiveness of goal orientation training in increasing the hope amongst the students. Journal of Behavioral Sciences in Asia 7: 40–49.

25.

Mohammadi

(2005) The preliminary study of validity and reliability of Rosenberg’s Self -Esteem Scale. Quarterly of developmental Psychology: Iranian Psychologists 1(4): 320–332. (In Persian).

26.

Najafi

Dehshiri

G. H. R.

Dabiri

Sheikhi

Jafari

(2011) Psychometric properties of Farsi version of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire for the students. Journal of Educational Measurement 3(10): 55–73. (In Persian).

27.

Nasiri

H. A.

Jowkar

(2008) The relationship between life's meaningfulness, hope, happiness, life satisfaction and depression in a group of employed women. Women in Development & Politics 6(2): 157–176. (In Persian).

28.

Nazarzadeh

Bidel

Ayubi

Soori

Sayehmiri

(2013) Factors related to suicide attempt in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Hakim Research Journal 15: 352–363. (In Persian).

29.

Rajabi

G. H.

(2006) Reliability and validity of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE-10): Comparing the psychology students of Shahid Chamran University and Azad University of Marvdasht. New Thoughts on Education 2(1/2): 111–122. (In Persian).

30.

Rosenberg

(1965) Society and the adolescent self-image, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

31.

Scheier

M. F.

Carver

C. S.

(1985) Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychology 4: 219–247.

32.

Schwarzer

Jerusalem

(1995) Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. In: Weinman

Wright

Johnston

(eds) Measures in health psychology: A user's portfolio. Causal and control beliefs, Windsor, England: Nfer-Nelson, pp. 35–37.

33.

Snyder

C. R.

Harris

Anderson

J. R.

Holleran

S. A.

Irving

L. M.

Sigmon

S. T.

Harney

(1991) The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology 60: 570–585.

34.

Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (Eds.). (2002). Handbook of positive psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

35.

Tagharrobi

Sharifi

Sooki

Tagharrobi

(2012) Psychometric evaluation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in the Students of Kashan Nursing & Midwifery Faculty, Kashan, Iran. Qom University of Medical Sciences Journal 6(1): 89–98. (In Persian).

36.

Vaziri

S. H.

Lotfi Kashani

(2011) Sexuality after breast cancer: Need for guideline. Iranian Journal of Cancer Prevention 5(1): 10–15. (In Persian).

37.

World Health Organization (WHO) (2010) Towards evidence-based suicide prevention programmes, Geneva, Switzerland: WHO.

38.

Yaghubi, H. (2016, submitted). Psychometric properties of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10 among students. Journal of Applied Psychology Research. Submitted for publication (In Persian).