Thought and Suicidal Ideations in youth: Indicators of Internal Validity and Construct Correlates

Abstract

Suicidal ideation is a risk factor for suicide intent, whereas suicidal thought is formed by the structure of suicidal thinking; rigidity and construction and distorted perception of time. The aim of this study was to analyze the validity of constructs and the psychometric properties of the scales used. 228 young Brazilians participated in the study, most of them women (59%), with a mean age of 16.68 years (sd = 1.50) answering the Suicidal Ideation Scale, Suicidal Thought, Rosemberg Self-Esteem and sociodemographic data. It was observed that, in the confirmatory analysis, the psychometric indicators were reliable for both measures. As well as, there was a correlation between both constructs, with significant scores and above 0.45. Considering these results, one can affirm the evaluative quality of the constructs, capable of measuring the cognitive phenomenon of suicide, since it was sensitive to the diagnostic proposal.