Preliminary Validation of a Korean Version of the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale‐Fearlessness About Death

The interpersonal‐psychological theory of suicide proposes that the desire for suicide must be accompanied by the capability to do so in order for an individual to engage in suicidal behavior. The Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale‐Fearlessness about Death (ACSS‐FAD) measures fearlessness about death, a core component of the capability for suicide. This study aimed to validate a Korean version of the ACSS‐FAD in a college student sample. We administered the ACSS‐FAD and measures of suicide ideation, fear of suicide, death anxiety, pain anxiety, and depression in a sample of Korean college students (N = 301) and analyzed its reliability, factor structure, invariance across genders, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The one‐factor model achieved satisfactory model fit. Across genders, partial metric invariance and partial scalar invariance were established. The results also revealed that the ACSS‐FAD has good internal consistency, convergent validity (positive correlations with fear of suicide, death anxiety, and pain anxiety), and discriminant validity (no relation with depression). The Korean version of the ACSS‐FAD presents adequate psychometric properties and may be considered to be a promising instrument for measuring fearlessness about death in college students.