In the frame of the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS), Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ-15) assesses thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB), related to suicidal ideation (SI); Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale–Fearlessness About Death (ACSS-FAD) measures this component which contributes to lethal self-harm. The objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of INQ-15 and ACSS-FAD in a population of Italian university students. Since the Italian INQ-15 was already validated, we translated ACSS-FAD through a multistage procedure and administered both to 1,665 Italian university students. Factor analysis confirmed a two-factor-related model of INQ-15, one factor of ACSS-FAD, and good reliability for both. We proved the association between INQ-15 and current SI and between ACSS-FAD and lifetime suicidal planning and/or suicide attempt. The convergent and discriminant validities were in line with those of previous studies. Both tools are valid and reliable to assess the constructs associated with suicide outcomes according to IPTS.
AddoloratoG.AnconaC.CapristoE.GraziosettoR.Di RienzoL.MauriziM.GasbarriniG. (1999). State and trait anxiety in women affected by allergic and vasomotor rhinitis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 46, 283–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3999(98)00109-3
2.
ArriaA. M.O’GradyK. E.CaldeiraK. M.VincentK. B.WilcoxH. C.WishE. D. (2009). Suicide ideation among college students: A multivariate analysis. Archives of Suicide Research, 13(3), 230–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811110903044351
3.
BachmannS. (2018). Epidemiology of suicide and the psychiatric perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15, 1425. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071425
4.
BarrettL. F.Bliss-MoreauE.QuigleyK. S.AronsonK. R. (2004). Interoceptive sensitivity and self-reports of emotional experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 684–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.87.5.684
5.
BeckA. T.SteerR. A.BrownG. K. (1996). Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Psychological Corporation.
6.
BeckerS. P.DvorskyM. R.HoldawayA. S.LuebbeA. M. (2018). Sleep problems and suicidal behaviors in college students. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 99, 122–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.01.009
7.
BeckerS. P.FosterJ. A.LuebbeA. M. (2020). A test of the interpersonal theory of suicide in college students. Journal of Affective Disorders, 260, 73–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.09.005
8.
BermanA. L. (2022). Risk factors observed in the last 30 days of life among student suicides: Distinguishing characteristics of college and university student suicides. Journal of American College Health, 70, 1275–1279. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1791884
9.
BoffoM.MannariniS.MunariC. (2012). Exploratory structure equation modeling of the UCLA loneliness scale: A contribution to the Italian adaptation. Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 19(4), 345–363. https://doi.org/10.4473/TPM19.4.7
10.
BrenerN. D.HassanS. S.BarriosL. C. (1999). Suicidal ideation among college students in the United States. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 1004–1008. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.67.6.1004
CalatiR.FerrariC.BrittnerM.OasiO.OliéE.CarvalhoA. F.CourtetP. (2019). Suicidal thoughts and behaviors and social isolation: A narrative review of the literature. Journal of Affective Disorders, 245, 653–667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.022
13.
CalatiR.RomanoD.MaglioccaS.MadedduF.ZeppegnoP.GramagliaC. (2022). The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and the role of psychological pain during the COVID-19 pandemic: A network analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 302, 435–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.078
14.
CaulkinsC. (2018). The role of communitas in the prevention of suicide in Italy: A comparison with the United States. Suicidology Online, 9, 1–11.
15.
ChapmanD. W.CarterJ. F. (1979). Translation procedures for the cross cultural use of measurement instruments. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 1(3), 71–76. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737001003071
16.
ChuH.YangY.ZhouJ.WangW.QiuX.YangX.QiaoZ.SongX.ZhaoE. (2021). Social support and suicide risk among Chinese university students: A mental health perspective. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 566993. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.566993
CritchleyH. D.WiensS.RotshteinP.ÖhmanA.DolanR. J. (2004). Neural systems supporting interoceptive awareness. Nature Neuroscience, 7, 189–195. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1176
19.
CrosbyA. E.HanB.OrtegaL. A. G.ParksS. E.GfroererJ., & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adults aged ≥18 years–United States, 2008-2009. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Surveillance Summaries, 60(13), 1–22.
20.
DavidsonC. L.WingateL. R. R.GrantD. M. M.JudahM. R.MillsA. C. (2011). Interpersonal suicide risk and ideation: The influence of depression and social anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 30, 842–855. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2011.30.8.842
21.
Di FabioA.PalazzeschiL. (2015). Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): Un contributo alla validazione italiana [A contribution to Italian validation]. Counselling, 8, 1–15.
22.
EskinM.SunJ. M.AbuidhailJ.YoshimasuK.KujanO.JanghorbaniM.FloodC.CartaM. G.TranU. S.MechriA.HamdanM.PoyrazliS.AidoudiK.BakhshiS.HarlakH.MoroM. F.NawaflehH.PhillipsL.ShaheenA.. . .VoracekM. (2016). Suicidal behavior and psychological distress in university students: A 12-nation study. Archives of Suicide Research, 20, 369–388. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2015.1054055
23.
FalgaresG.MarchettiD.MannaG.MussoP.OasiO.Kopala-SibleyD. C.De SantisS.VerrocchioM. C. (2018). Childhood maltreatment, pathological personality dimensions, and suicide risk in young adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 806. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00806
24.
FarooqS.TunmoreJ.AliW.AyubM. (2021). Suicide, self-harm and suicidal ideation during COVID-19: A systematic review. Psychiatry Research, 306, 114228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114228
25.
FavaG. A.TombaE.BrakemeierE. L.CarrozzinoD.CosciF.EöryA.LeonardiT.SchamongI.GuidiJ. (2019). Mental pain as a transdiagnostic patient-reported outcome measure. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 88(6), 341–349. https://doi.org/10.1159/000504024
26.
FrazierP.GabrielA.MeriansA.LustK. (2019). Understanding stress as an impediment to academic performance. Journal of American College Health, 67(6), 562–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1499649
27.
GaoL.XieY.JiaC.WangW. (2020). Prevalence of depression among Chinese university students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 15897. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72998-1
GlaesmerH.SpangenbergL.SchererA.ForkmannT. (2014). Die Erfassung von Suizidwünschen: Erste psychometrische Befunde zur deutschen Version des [Recording suicide: First psychometric findings] Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ). Psychiatrische Praxis, 41, 250–256. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0033-1343321
30.
Goldman-MellorS. J.CaspiA.HarringtonH. L.HoganS.Nada-RajaS.PoultonR.MoffittT. E. (2014). Suicide attempt in young people a signal for long-term health care and social needs. JAMA Psychiatry, 71(2), 119–127. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.2803
31.
GoldsmithS.PellmarT.KleinmanA.BunneyW. (2002). Reducing suicide. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10398
32.
GselamuL.HaK. (2020). Attitudes towards suicide and risk factors for suicide attempts among university students in South Korea. Journal of Affective Disorders, 272, 166–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.135
33.
GulF.YuefenW.UllahI.ZadaS. (2020). Study of depression in university students in Pakistan. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 70(4), 650–654. https://doi.org/10.5455/JPMA.15757
34.
HallenslebenN.SpangenbergL.KapustaN. D.ForkmannT.GlaesmerH. (2016). The German version of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ)—Dimensionality, psychometric properties and population-based norms. Journal of Affective Disorders, 195, 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.01.045
35.
HillR. M.ReyY.MarinC. E.SharpC.GreenK. L.PettitJ. W. (2015). Evaluating the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire: Comparison of the reliability, factor structure, and predictive validity across five versions. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 45, 302–314. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12129
36.
HoldenR. R.MehtaK.CunninghamE. J.McLeodL. D. (2001). Development and preliminary validation of a scale of psychache. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 33(4), 224–232. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0087144
37.
HopeV.HendersonM. (2014). Medical student depression, anxiety and distress outside North America: A systematic review. Medical Education, 48, 963–979. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12512
38.
HorwitzA. G.BeronaJ.BusbyD. R.EisenbergD.ZhengK.PistorelloJ.AlbucherR.CoryellW.FavoriteT.WallochJ. C.KingC. A. (2020). Variation in suicide risk among subgroups of sexual and gender minority college students. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 50(5), 1041–1053. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12637
39.
HuL. T.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
40.
IBM Corp. (2020). IBM SPSS statistics for windows.
41.
IbrahimA. K.KellyS. J.AdamsC. E.GlazebrookC. (2013). A systematic review of studies of depression prevalence in university students. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 47(3), 391–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.11.015
42.
IlicetoP.D’AntuonoL.FinoE.CarcioneA.CandileraG.SilvaC.JoinerT. E. (2020). Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15-I). Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77, 268–285. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23026
JoinerT. E. (2005). Why people die by suicide. Harvard University Press.
46.
JonesG. E. (1994). Perception of visceral sensations: A review of recent findings, methodologies, and future directions. Advances in Psychophysiology: A Research Annual, 5, 55–191.
47.
JuY. J.KimW.OhS. S.ParkE. C. (2019). Solitary drinking and the risk of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in college students: Findings from a nationwide survey in Korea. Journal of Affective Disorders, 257, 710–715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.07.080
48.
KesslerR. C.BerglundP.DemlerO.JinR.MerikangasK. R.WaltersE. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593–602. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593
49.
KnightR. G.Waal ManningH. J.SpearsG. F. (1983). Some norms and reliability data for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Zung Self-Rating Depression scale. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 22, 245–249. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1983.tb00610.x
LearyM. R.BaumeisterR. F. (2000). The nature and function of self-esteem: Sociometer theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 32, 1–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(00)80003-9
52.
LeombruniP.Lo MoroG.BertF.SiliquiniR. (2021). Suicidal ideation among Italian medical students: Prevalence and associated factors from a multicenter study. Annali Dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanita, 57(4), 324–329. https://doi.org/10.4415/ANN_21_04_07
53.
LinehanM. M.GoodsteinJ. L.NielsenS. L.ChilesJ. A. (1983). Reasons for staying alive when you are thinking of killing yourself: The Reasons for Living Inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 276–286. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.51.2.276
54.
LongarzoM.D’OlimpioF.ChiavazzoA.SantangeloG.TrojanoL.GrossiD. (2015). The relationships between interoception and alexithymic trait. The Self-Awareness Questionnaire in healthy subjects. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01149
55.
LunK. W. C.ChanC. K.IpP. K. Y.MaS. Y. K.TsaiW. W.WongC. S.WongC. H. T.WongT. W.YanD. (2018). Depression and anxiety among university students in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Medical Journal, 24(5), 466–472. https://doi.org/10.12809/hkmj176915
56.
McNeishD. (2018). Thanks coefficient alpha, we’ll take it from here. Psychological Methods, 23(3), 412–433. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000144
57.
MileticV.LukovicJ. A.RatkovicN.AleksicD.GrgurevicA. (2015). Demographic risk factors for suicide and depression among Serbian medical school students. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 50(4), 633–638. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0950-9
58.
MonticoneM.AmbrosiniE.RoccaB.NavaT.TerragniE.CerriC.McCrackenL. M. (2016). Development of the Italian version of the Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire in subjects with chronic low back pain: Cross-cultural adaptation, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and validity. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23, 214–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-015-9507-x
59.
MortierP.CuijpersP.KiekensG.AuerbachR. P.DemyttenaereK.GreenJ. G.KesslerR. C.NockM. K.BruffaertsR. (2018). The prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviours among college students: A meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 48(4), 554–565. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717002215
NockM. K.KesslerR. C. (2006). Prevalence of and risk factors for suicide attempts versus suicide gestures: Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115(3), 616–623. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.115.3.616
62.
OliéE.GuillaumeS.JaussentI.CourtetP.JollantF. (2010). Higher psychological pain during a major depressive episode may be a factor of vulnerability to suicidal ideation and act. Journal of Affective Disorders, 120, 226–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2009.03.013
63.
ParkS. M.ChoS.-I.MoonS. S. (2010). Factors associated with suicidal ideation: Role of emotional and instrumental support. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 69(4), 389–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.03.002
64.
ParkY.KimH. S. (2019). Validation of the Korean version Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 49(3), 739–758. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12473
65.
PedrabissiL.SantinelloM. (1989). STAI State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Forma y Manuale. Organizzazioni Speciali.
66.
PodlogarT.ŽibernaJ.PoštuvanV.KerrD. C. R. (2017). Belongingness and burdensomeness in adolescents: Slovene translation and validation of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire. Suicide and Life-threatening Behavior, 47(3), 336–352. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12276
67.
PompiliM.InnamoratiM.LesterD.BrunettiS.TatarelliR.GirardiP. (2007). Gender effects among undergraduates relating to suicide risk, impulsivity, aggression and self-efficacy. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 2047–2056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.06.019
68.
PompiliM.VichiM.QinP.InnamoratiM.De LeoD.GirardiP. (2013). Does the level of education influence completed suicide? A nationwide register study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 147, 437–440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2012.08.046
69.
PrezzaM.TrombacciaF. R.ArmentoL. (1997). La scala dell’autostima di Rosenberg: traduzione e validazione italiana. Bollettino di Psicologia Applicata.
70.
RibeiroJ. D.WitteT. K.Van OrdenK. A.SelbyE. A.GordonK. H.BenderT. W.JoinerT. E. (2014). Fearlessness about death: The psychometric properties and construct validity of the revision to the acquired capability for suicide scale. Psychological Assessment, 26, 115–126. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034858
71.
RizviS. J.IskricA.CalatiR.CourtetP. (2017). Psychological and physical pain as predictors of suicide risk: Evidence from clinical and neuroimaging findings. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 30(2), 159–167. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000314
72.
RoaldsetJ. O.LinakerO. M.BjørklyS. (2012). Predictive validity of the MINI suicidal scale for self-harm in acute psychiatry: A prospective study of the first year after discharge. Archives of Suicide Research, 16, 287–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2013.722052
73.
RonconiL.TestoniI.ZamperiniA. (2009). Validation of the Italian version of the reasons for living inventory. Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology.
74.
RosenbergM. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton University Press.
75.
RussellD. W. (1996). UCLA Loneliness Scale (version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66, 20–40. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6601_2
SeoC.Di CarloC.DongS. X.FournierK.HaykalK. A. (2021). Risk factors for suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among medical students: A meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 16, Article e0261785. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261785
78.
SeoJ. W.KwonS. M. (2018). Preliminary validation of a Korean version of the acquired capability for suicide scale-fearlessness about death. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 48(3), 305–314. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12360
79.
ShneidmanE. S. (1987). A psychological approach to suicide. In VandenBosG. R.BryantB. K. (Eds.), Master lectures series. Cataclysms, crises, and catastrophes: Psychology in action (pp. 147–183). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11106-004
80.
SilvaC.HurtadoG.HartleyC.RangelJ. N.HoveyJ. D.PettitJ. W.ChorotP.ValienteR. M.SandínB.JoinerT. E. (2018). Spanish translation and validation of the interpersonal needs questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 30, e21–e37. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000643
81.
SmarrK. L.KeeferA. L. (2020). Measures of depression and depressive symptoms. Arthritis Care and Research, 72(Suppl. 10), 608–629. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.24191
82.
SolomonR. L.CorbitJ. D. (1974). An opponent-process theory of motivation: I. Temporal dynamics of affect. Psychological Review, 81, 119–145. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0036128
83.
SpangenbergL.GlaesmerH.SchererA.GechtJ.BarkeA.MainzV.ForkmannT. (2016). Fearlessness about death and suicidal behavior: Psychometric properties of the German version of the revised acquired capability for suicide scale (ACSS-FAD). Psychiatrische Praxis, 43(2), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1387375
84.
SpielbergerC. D.GorsuchR. L.LusheneR. (1983). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for adults sampler set manual, instrument and scoring guide. Consulting Psychologists Press. https://doi.org/10.1037/t06496-000
85.
TubbsA. S.TanejaK.GhaniS. B.NadorffM. R.DrapeauC. W.KarpJ. F.FernandezF. X.PerlisM. L.GrandnerM. A. (2023). Sleep continuity, timing, quality, and disorder are associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among college students. Journal of American College Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2155828
TyssenR.VaglumP.GrønvoldN. T.EkebergO. (2001). Suicidal ideation among medical students and young physicians: A nationwide and prospective study of prevalence and predictors. Journal of Affective Disorders, 64(1), 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0327(00)00205-6
88.
Van OrdenK. A. (2009). Construct validity of the interpersonal needs questionnaire. Florida State University.
89.
Van OrdenK. A.CukrowiczK. C.WitteT. K.JoinerT. E. (2012). Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness: Construct validity and psychometric properties of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 24(1), 197–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025358
90.
Van OrdenK. A.WitteT. K.CukrowiczK. C.BraithwaiteS. R.SelbyE. A.JoinerT. E. (2010). The interpersonal theory of suicide. Psychological Review, 117(2), 575–600. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018697
91.
Van OrdenK. A.WitteT. K.GordonK. H.BenderT. W.JoinerT. E. (2008). Suicidal desire and the capability for suicide: Tests of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior among adults. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76, 72–83. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.76.1.72
92.
WangX.HegdeS.SonC.KellerB.SmithA.SasangoharF. (2020). Investigating mental health of US college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e22817. https://doi.org/10.2196/22817
WiensS.MezzacappaE. S.KatkinE. S. (2000). Heartbeat detection and the experience of emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 14, 417–427. https://doi.org/10.1080/026999300378905
YangL.PanD.LiZ.LiuX. (2021). Validation of a Chinese version of the acquired capability for suicide scale. Death Studies, 45(8), 630–637. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2019.1671545
97.
ZimetG. D.DahlemN. W.ZimetS. G.GordonK.FarleyG. K. (2010). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support the multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
