Genetic contributions to suicide are increasingly recognized. This study further validated the novel 22-item Beliefs in the Inheritance of Risk Factors for Suicide Scale (BIRFSS), which assesses individuals' beliefs about the genetics of suicide. Data from 155 mainly Austrian psychology undergraduates (42 men, 113 women) indicated adequate internal scale consistency and 2-mo. test-retest reliability. Scores were temporally stable and factor analysis of items yielded a dominant first factor. Scores were positively related to general beliefs about genetic determinism and to positive attitudes towards psychiatric genetic research (convergent validity), but unrelated to lay theories of suicide, locus of control, self-reported religiosity and political orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, and social dominance orientation (discriminant validity). Effects of sex, age, and nationality (Austrian vs other) on scores were negligible. Item statistics corresponded strongly to those obtained from administering the item sequence in reverse order. Item statistics were strongly correlated with those observed in two previous validation studies, suggesting cross-sample robustness of the item-performance indicators of this measure. The scale shows potential for basic research and curriculum evaluation.
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