Evaluating the psychometric properties of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire and the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale in military veterans.

Abstract

Joiner's (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) has become one of the most frequently studied in the field. Currently there are 2 primary measures designed to assess the 3 main constructs of the theory-the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ; Van Orden, Witte, Gordon, Bender, & Joiner, 2008) and the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale (ACSS; Van Orden et al., 2008). The psychometric properties of these 2 measures were evaluated in a sample of 477 U.S. military veterans. It was determined that the factor structure for both measures is consistent with the underlying theory and that all internal consistency reliability estimates are good. Acceptable convergent validity was found for the INQ, but not for the ACSS. Recommendations for refining the ACSS based on the results of the current analyses are provided. Comparisons of scale performance were made with data from participants with and without a history of 1 or more suicide attempts. Burdensomeness alone and the interaction between thwarted belongingness and burdensomeness were associated with prior suicide attempts. In conclusion, although some refinement may improve performance of the ACSS, both measures are appropriate and psychometrically sound for use in research and clinical applications with veterans of the U.S. military. (PsycINFO Database Record

Lack of Emotional Awareness is Associated with Thwarted Belongingness and Acquired Capability for Suicide in a Military Psychiatric Inpatient Sample

“…Total scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores reflecting higher acquired capability. The ACSS has demonstrated acceptable internal consistency in a large veteran sample (Gutierrez et al., ) and ACSS showed good internal reliability in the current study, α = .82.…”

“…Items are scored from 1 not at all true for me to 7 very true for me , with higher scores indicating greater endorsement of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. The INQ has been utilized across varied samples and has shown strong psychometric properties among military populations (Bryan & Anestis, ; Gutierrez et al., ). Internal consistency was high in the current sample for perceived burdensomeness, α = .91, and thwarted belongingness, α = .89.…”

How Distress Tolerance Mediates the Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide Constructs in a U.S. Military Sample

“…Previous research has indicated that this version of the INQ has respectable construct validity, reliability, and generalizability (Van Orden et al., ). Furthermore, INQ‐15 has been used in military samples before demonstrating strong psychometric properties (Bryan, Morrow, Anestis, & Joiner, ; Van Orden et al., ) and establishing good convergent validity and reliability (Gutierrez et al., ). In the literature, thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness tend to correlate.…”

An Investigation into the Acquired Capability for Suicide

“…In addition, a commonly used 5‐item measure to assess ACS was used in one of the studies and has often exhibited low consistency estimates. Despite this, it has been concluded by at least one study to be a psychometrically sound measure that is appropriate for use in research and clinical settings (Gutierrez et al., ). Future research should utilize the 7‐item ACSS‐FAD (Ribeiro et al., ) as recent psychometric investigations have supported this version, along with behavioral measures of pain persistence (e.g., algometer).…”

“…Within this model, the effects of a painful/provocative stimulus decline with repetition, while the opposite effect (the opponent process) increases (Solomon, ). As a construct, the ACS has found support in military (Gutierrez et al., ), undergraduate (Willoughby, Heffer, & Hamza, ), and adults in outpatient and inpatient clinics (Smith, Stanley, Joiner, Sachs‐Ericsson, & Van Orden, ). Research has repeatedly shown people's pain tolerance—one aspect of ACS—habituates over time and that pain‐related outcomes (e.g., pain tolerance, pain threshold) are higher in individuals engaging in self‐injurious behaviors (Koenig, Thayer, & Kaess, ; Milne, Kay, & Irwin, ).…”