The studies presented here describe the development of an instrument to measure a range of beliefs potentially important as reasons for not committing suicide. Sixty-five individuals generated 72 distinct reasons; these were reduced to 48 by factor analyses performed on two additional samples, and the items were arranged into the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL), which requires a rating of how important each reason would be for living if suicide was contemplated. In addition, factor analyses indicated six primary reasons for living: Survival and Coping Beliefs, Responsibility to Family, Child-Related Concerns, Fear of Suicide, Fear of Social Disapproval, and Moral Objections. The RFL was then given to two additional samples, 197 Seattle shoppers and 175 psychiatric inpatients. Both samples were divided into several suicidal (ideators and parasuicides) and nonsuicidal groups. Separate multivariate analyses of variance indicated that the RFL differentiated suicidal from nonsuicidal individuals in both samples. In the shopping-center sample, the Fear of Suicide scale further differentiated between previous ideators and previous parasuicides. In the clinical sample, the Child-Related Concerns scales differentiated between current suicide ideators and current parasuicides. In both samples, the Survival and Coping, the Responsibility to Family, and the Child-Related Concerns scales were most useful in differentiating the groups. Results were maintained when the effect of recent stress was held constant.The frequency of suicidal behavior sug-point in their lifetime; between 53% and 67% gests that it is a phenomenon that cannot be report seriously considering it. ignored. Over 25,000 individuals a year killThe majority of research in the field of themselves in the United States (U.S. Vital suicidology, to date, has been directed at Statistics, 1973Statistics, , 1975, and it is estimated identifying characteristics of suicidal persons that two to eight times this number, or from to enhance prediction of suicidal behavior 50,000 to 200,000 persons a year parasuicide (Beck, Resnick, & Lettieri, 1974; Kreitman, (i.e., intentionally self-injure, behavior usu-1977;Neuringer, 1974). With few exceptions ally labeled in the U.S. as attempted suicide; (e.g., Goodstein, 1982) almost all of this work Berman, 1975). Linehan and colleagues (Li-has focused on identifying maladaptive atnehan & Laffaw, in press; Linehan & Nielsen, tributes of suicidal persons. Little attention 1981; Linehan, Note 1) found that from 10% has been given the question of whether suito 16% of an adult, general population in cidal persons lack important adaptive char-Seattle report attempting suicide at some acteristics present among nonsuicidal individuals, and, if so, what these characteristics This research was supported by National Institute might be. Grant MH34486.Focusing on adaptive, life-maintaining The authors would like to thank Kirk Strosahl for his characteristics of nonsuicidal people is sim-••isrrssrssr^riSM. ** s ^ approach pL inehan, Departm...
