SENTIA: An Adolescent Suicidal Behavior Assessment Scale/SENTIA: Escala para la evaluation de la conducta suicida en adolescentes

Background: The main objective of this work was to design and validate a new measuring instrument, called SENTIA, for assessing suicidal behavior in Spanish adolescents. Method: a total of 1790 randomly selected students participated in the survey. The average age was 15.70 (SD=1.26), 53.7% of the sample were girls. Results: The results of exploratory factor analyses suggested that the dimensional structure that best explained the SENTIA scores was a bifactor model, specified in a general suicidal behavioral factor plus three specific factors (Ideation, Communication, and Act/Planning). SENTIA scores demonstrated adequate levels of reliability. None of the SENTIA items showed differential functioning by gender. SENTIA scores were positively associated with suicidal ideation, symptoms of depression, emotional and behavioral problems, and psychotic-like experiences. Conclusions: SENTIA is a useful, easy, brief measuring instrument that has been specifically constructed and validated for the assessment of suicidal behavior in Spanish adolescents. As a screening tool, SENTIA can help the analysis, evaluation, understanding, and intervention in a the major socio-health problem that is suicide. Keywords: adolescents, suicidal behavior, evaluation, prevention, SENTIA. Antecedentes: el objetivo principal de este trabajo fue construir y validar un instrumento de medida, denominado SENTIA, para la evaluation de la conducta suicida en adolescentes espanoles. Metodo: participaron 1.790 estudiantes seleccionados mediante un muestreo estratificado por conglomerados. La media de edad fue 15,70 (DT= 1,26), siendo el 53,7% chicas. Resultados: los resultados del analisis factorial exploratorio sugirieron que la estructura dimensional que mejor explicaba las puntuaciones de SENTIA consistia en un modelo bifactor, concretado en un factor general de conducta suicida mas tres factores especificos (Ideacion Suicida, Comunicacion Suicida y Acto/Planificacion Suicida). Las puntuaciones de SENTIA mostraron adecuados niveles de fiabilidad. Ningun item de SENTIA mostro funcionamiento diferencial en funcion del genero. Las puntuaciones de SENTIA se asociaron positivamente con ideacion suicida, sintomas de depresion, problemas emocionales y comportamentales y experiencias psicoticas atenuadas. Conclusiones: SENTIA es un instrumento de medida sencillo, breve y util que ha sido construido y validado especificamente para la evaluation de la conducta suicida en jovenes espanoles. SENTIA, c