Psychometric Assessment of Two Suicide Screeners When Used Under Routine Conditions in Military Outpatient Treatment Programs

Suicide remains a pressing problem among active-duty military personnel. Recent Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense suicide prevention practice guidelines highlight the need for further screening research. The present study assessed the psychometric properties of 2 common self-report suicide screening tools: the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) and the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) ideation subscale. Data (n = 200 active-duty personnel) were drawn from medical records and self-report questionnaires from 2 outpatient treatment settings in a military hospital. Primary findings include: (a) confirmatory factor analytic support for the SBQ-R but not the self-report version of the C-SSRS ideation severity subscale; and (b) acceptable reliability for both the SBQ-R and C-SSRS ideation severity subscale. Recommendations are offered for military suicide screening practice and research. Impact Statement Findings support the use of the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised as a suicide screener for outpatient active-duty military personnel. However, lack of support for the computer-administered self-report version of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale Ideation Severity subscale was found. Careful application of these suicide screeners may be integrated into comprehensive suicide risk-assessment practices within military outpatient behavioral health settings.