Attitudes towards attempted suicide: the development of a measurement tool

Background: Nowadays reported global suicide attempt rates have increased dramatically and there is some evidence that failure by health care professionals to recognize and respond to the needs of a suicidal person may be a factor in the repeated suicide attempts of some people. Moreover, research evidence has indicated that unfavorable attitudes among doctors and nurses exist towards attempted suicide patients, which have a negative impact upon the quality of care they receive. The aim of the study was to develop, pilot and validate a measure of attitudes towards patients who have attempted suicide. Method and Material: A questionnaire comprising 102 items was constructed from a existing validated instrument in combination with findings from a literature review. A pilot study was carried out with a sample of 40 (n=40) doctors and nurses, to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the instrument developed. Questionnaires were then distributed to a sample of 186 (n=186) doctors and nurses, working in two general hospitals in Athens area. In order to establish the scale’s construct validity a factor analysis was performed. In addition, a face validity of the measurement tool was assessed by a group of experts. Reliability of the questionnaire was assesses by test - retest. Results: Preliminary analysis reduced the 102 items of the questionnaire to 80. The following eight factors were retained: “positiveness”, “acceptability”, “religiosity”, “professional role and care”, “manipulation”, “personality traits”, “mental illness”, “discrimination”. The 8 factors yielded accounted for the 55.45% level of the total variance. The resultant “Attitudes Towards Attempted Suicide-Questionnaire (ATAS-Q) achieved high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96 (a=0.96) in test and a=0.97 in retest assessment. Conclusions: The construction, development and validation of the ATAS-Q will provide a useful measurement tool, enabling health care professionals to enhance their understanding of their attitudes towards patients who attempt suicide in order to enhance the provision of effective care to them.

Author(s): Ouzouni Christina

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