The Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (Turkish BSSI)

Objective: Although several self-report tools measuring suicidal ideation are used in Turkey, the validity and reliability of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI), an important tool administered clinically, has not yet been examined. We hope that establishing the validity and reliability of the BSSI can improve the detection of suicidal ideation. Methods: The sample for this study consisted of 120 individuals who participated voluntarily. One hundred of the 120 participants were administered related relevant instruments, the Beck Depression Inventory [BM], Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI], Beck Hopelessness Scale [BHS], and Suicidal Ideation Scale [SIS], to determine concurrent validity. Separately, two clinicians interviewed twenty different participants to assess inter-rater reliability. To assess internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were computed. In addition, a principal component analysis with a Varimax rotation was performed to examine the test's factor structure. Results: Cronbach's alpha value was 0.84 and every item was positively correlated to the total scores on the BSSI. Inter-rater correlation was very strong and significant (r=0.94, p<0.01). Correlation coefficients for similar measures showed significant results [i.e., SIS (r=0.40) and BHS (r=0.58)]. There was a mild correlation between the BSSI and BDI (r=0.40) but no correlations were found with the BAI. Conclusion: The BSSI is a valid and reliable measure that has good potential to detect suicidal ideation and behavior in clinical settings when compared to other self-rating measures. These results suggest that measuring suicidal ideation and behaviors using the BSSI across different diagnoses may provide valuable information for clinical research.