Abstract
Despite the alarming rise of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), in preadolescent children over the last two decades, no scales have been developed and validated to assess these troubling tendencies in this population. We describe how we developed English and Spanish language versions of a new scale to assess STBs in children, the Suicide Risk and Ideation Scale for Kids - Child and Parent versions (S-RISK-C/P), using cognitive interviewing. Method. After creating item pools in English and Spanish, we elicited feedback from three clinician content experts and conducted cognitive interviews with 8 children (4 girls; Mage = 10.37 years; SDage = 1.19 years) and their parents (5 interviews in English, 3 in Spanish). Results. Children and parents readily understood the directions, items, and response options of the S-RISK-C/P and expressed high confidence in their responses. Cognitive interviews indicated only minor issues with wording and sequence of some items, which led to iterative revisions. Conclusion. This is the first study to apply cognitive interviewing in child suicide research to ensure development of a scale that has clear and accessible language. We are currently undertaking measurement development and evaluation of S-RISK-C/P further by gathering data to determine the scale’s item properties, reliability, and validity.
Key Take Away Points
-- Scales have not been developed and validated to assess suicide thoughts and behaviors in preadolescent children
-- We developed a new scale to assess suicide thoughts and behaviors in children, the Suicide Risk and Ideation Scale for Kids - Child and Parent versions (S-RISK-C/P)
-- Cognitive interviewing indicated children and parents readily understood the directions, items, and response options of the S-RISK-C/P
-- Findings support the theoretical-, developmental-, and cultural-linguistic grounding of the S-RISK-C/P
Author Biography
Dr. Pettit is a Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry in the Center for Children and Families at Florida International University. Dr. Yeguez is in the Center for Children and Families at Florida International University. Ms. Budagzad-Jacobson is a post-baccalaureate research associate at the Yale Child Study Center Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program. Ms. Clark is a post-baccalaureate research associate at the Yale Child Study Center Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program. Dr. Rey is a Research Scientist at the Center for Children and Families and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida International University. Dr. Marin is an Assistant Professor at the Yale Child Study Center and core faculty member of the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program at the Center. Dr. Lebowitz is an Associate Professor at the Yale Child Study Center and Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Center. Dr. Jaccard is an Emeritus Professor at the New York University Silver School of Social Work. Dr. Silverman is the Alfred A. Messer Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center, Director of the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program at the Center, and Professor of Psychology at Yale University.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by National Institutes of Health grant MH119299-04W1. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors report no financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.
Recommended Citation
JW Pettit, CE Yeguez, RS Budagzad-Jacobson, et al. (2023) "Using Cognitive Interviewing to Develop Rating Scales of Suicide Thoughts and Behaviors in Preadolescent Children," Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 2.DOI: https://doi.org/10.58464/2155-5834.1544
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol14/iss1/2
