Suicidal Ideation Scale (Sis) : Development and Standardization Dr. G. Visvanathan & Dr. A. Mariyammal

International Journal of Computational Research and Development (IJCRD)
Impact Factor: 5.015, ISSN (Online): 2456 - 3137

(www.dvpublication.com) Volume 2, Issue 2, 2017
SUICIDAL IDEATION SCALE (SIS): DEVELOPMENT AND
STANDARDIZATION
Dr. G. Visvanathan* & Dr. A. Mariyammal**
* Vice-Chancellor (Former), Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University,
Chennai, Tamilnadu
** Assistant Professor, Sri Vidhyodhaya College of Education, Villupuram, Tamilnadu
Cite This Article: Dr. G. Visvanathan & Dr. A. Mariyammal, “Suicidal Ideation Scale (SIS): Development and
Standardization”,”, International Journal of Computational Research and Development, Volume 2, Issue 2, Page
Number 229-235, 2017.
Abstract:
Suicidal ideation is predominantly a thought or a concept that may potentially lead to indulge in
suicidal behaviour. It is a predictor of suicidal behaviour clinically and early identification of suicidal ideation
could save the lives of many. Suicidal Ideation Scale (SIS) aims at identifying the prevalence of suicidal
tendencyamong the higher secondary students due to psychological reasons, study reasons, physical reasons,
social reasons and economic reasons.The investigators drafted Suicidal Ideation Scale with 70 items in the form
of statements, after a diligent review and an in-depth search on literature related to suicide andsuicide ideation.
It is a 4 point scale with the options never, rarely, sometimes and often. The scale has Some items in the scale
were modified, reworded, restructured, regrouped and rearranged, and the given suggestions of the experts in
Education and Psychology were carried out and thereby validated the contents of the tool. A pilot study was
conducted on a random sample of 150 higher secondary school studentsstudying in Cuddalore, Villupuram and
Thiruvannamalai districts in Tamil Nadu and the results were scored.After item analysis, 6 items were
statistically deleted and the remaining 64 items were selected. The reliability 0.82 was established by split-half
method and the norms of interpretation were fixed.
Introduction:
New research has revealed that humans are natural born killers - With our instinct to kill” (Waghorn,
2016) reports Mirror. The day-to-day use of the term „Killer instinct‟ refers to do anything wild suggests that the
urge to kill is an instinctive behaviour. It‟s a surprise that there are nine words referring to killing the members
of one's family itself: patricide, matricide, parenticide, fratricide, sororicide, matricide, uxoricide, filicide,
parricide: killing of one‟s own father, mother, parents, brother, sister, husband, wife, son or daughter, a close
relative (http://www.fun-with-words.com/cide_words.html). The term „suicide‟ that refers to „the action of
killing oneself intentionally‟ (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/suicide) remains mysterious and
pathetic. The term is derived from Latin meaning “one‟s own” and “to kill” is a conscious act of self-induced
annihilation. Suicide is the preferred term for self‐inflicted death (Barraclough & Shepherd 1994). Ideation
refers to the process/act of forming ideas in the mind on something (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/
english/ideation). Suicide ideation is a term used in the field of medical science to refer to the unusual
preoccupation with suicidal thoughts.
Significance of Suicidal Ideation Scale:
The rate of suicide is alarmingly increasing owing to varying affecting factors in the present times.
According to World Health Organization, close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one
person every 40 seconds (https://www.who.int /mental_health/).Suicide is the second leading cause of death
among 15-29-year-olds globally and the rate of suicide is 8 lakh every year (India Today, 2018). Suicide is the
leading cause of death in the 15-39-year age group (Economic Times, 2018). Statistics of Suicide in India
reports, every year, more than 1,00,000 people commit suicide in India. There are various causes of suicides like
professional/career problems, discrimination, sense of isolation, abuse, violence, family problems, mental
disorders, alcoholism, financial loss, chronic pain and more (Ngilneii, 2017). The range of suicidal ideation
varies from self-harm and unsuccessful attempts, which may be deliberately constructed to fail or be discovered,
or may be fully intended to result in death.
Suicidal ideation is “a form of mild suicidal behaviour, a predictor of suicidal behaviour, a clinical
phenomenon in its own right” (Linden, Zaske & Ahrens 2003). Although most people who undergo suicidal
ideation do not go on to make suicide attempts, a significant proportion do. Suicidal ideation is generally
associated with depression; however, it seems to have associations with many other psychiatric disorders, life
events, and family events, all of which may increase the risk of suicidal ideation. Currently, there are many
different treatment options available for those experiencing suicidal ideation. (Gliatto & Rai, 1999).The
increasing suicidal rate and that too among the youth and the availability of so many suicide prevention
organizations makes the formulation of the tool significant with human concern and social responsibility.
Operational Definition of the Terms:
Suicidal Ideation: It refers to unusual preoccupation with suicidal thoughts in mind of the individuals.
Suicidal Ideation Scale: It is a tool to measure the level of suicidal thoughts in mind of the individuals. In this
study it refers to the 4 point scale prepared by the investigators.
229
Higher Secondary Students: It refers to students studying in the 11th and 12 thstandards in the Higher
Secondary Course as per the pattern of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Objectives of the Study:
 To construct Suicidal Ideation Scale for the higher secondary students
 To standardize Suicidal Ideation Scale for the higher secondary students
 To establish norms for Suicidal Ideation Scale scores
Pilot Study:
Pilot study, prior to main study, was carried out by the investigators to rectify the shortcomings and the
administration process of tool construction. It helped the investigators to minimize non-sampling errors, instilled
confidence and equipped the investigators with the validation process of the constructed tool,
Construction and Standardization of Suicidal Ideation Scale:
The investigator developed a scale to measure the suicidal ideation among higher secondary students in
the present situation. So the researchers constructed and standardized a tool to measure the suicidal ideation
among higher secondary students using the principles followed by Osman et al., (2001).To construct the suicidal
ideation scale the investigators coined the statements, gathered through reports, web resources, journals, related
studies and textbooks.On the basis of the above sources, 70 statements were prepared. Those statements were
given to the experts for their judgment. After scrutinizing, 64 statements were selected. Each statement has been
set against a 4 point scale with responses, never, rarely, sometimes and often. A pilot study was conducted on a
random sample of 150 higher secondary school students studying in Cuddalore, Villupuram and
Thiruvannamalai districts in Tamil Nadu. The copies of the tool were given and the tool was administered on the
chosen sample and they were requested to give their responses to all 70 statements. The respondents were asked
to put a () mark in the appropriate box, which they felt very near to their attitudes.
Table 1: Scoring of Responses in Suicidal Ideation Scale
Response Options
Suicide Ideation Scale
Never Rarely Sometimes Often
Score Value Given 0 1 2 3
The responses given by them were scored according to the weightages given to the responses and
arranged in ascending order of their total score. Then the top 27% (high group) and bottom 27% (low group) of
the total score were taken and „t‟ value for each statement was given by using the formula.
M1  M 2
t
2 2
SD1 SD2

n1 n2
Table 2: Item Analysis: Rank of the Items in the Suicidal Ideation among Higher Secondary Students Scale
based on „t‟ value
Statement ‘t’ Statement ‘t’
S.No Remarks S.No Remarks
No value No value
1. 32 9.06 Selected 36. 53 4.32 Selected
230
30. 58 4.70 Selected *65. 10 1.62 Not selected
35. 20 4.42 Selected *70 51 0.25 Not selected
According to Edwards (1957), the value of „t‟ is a measure of the extent to which a given statement
differentiates between the high and low groups.The statement for which the „t‟ value is greater than 1.98 was
selected. Thus 6 statements were deleted and 64 statements were selected for the final study and were arranged
from highest „t‟ values to the lowest „t‟ values in descending order(see Table 3).The tool for the final study with
the selected statements is given in Annexure 1.
Table 3: Item analysis: The 64 Statements Selected for the Final Study of Suicidal Ideation Scale among Higher
Secondary Students based on the „t‟ Value
Statement Statement ‘t’
S.No ‘t’ value Remarks S.No Remarks
No No value
Reliability of the Suicidal Ideation Scale:
Reliability is the degree of consistency that the instrument or procedure demonstrates; whatever it is
measuring, if does so consistently. A test score is called reliable when we have reasons for believing the score to
231
be stable and trust worthy. Stability and trustworthiness depend upon the degree to which the score is an index
of “true ability” is free from chance error (Garrett, 2005). Reliability can be defined as the degree of consistency
between two measures of the same thing. Using split half technique (odd/even scores), obtained reliability for
the suicidal ideation scale was 0.82.
Validity of the Suicidal Ideation Scale:
The validity of any measuring instruments depends upon the fidelity with which it measures what it
purports to measure (Garrett, 2005).Validity reveals the merits of our measurement. Validity refers to
truthfulness. The validity of a test or scale refers to its accuracy that is how closely the test measures, what it
intends to measure. The square root of the „r‟ value was the intrinsic validityand it was found to be 0.80.Thus
the suicidal ideation scale has been constructed by the investigators has high reliability and validity.The tool
used for final study consists of 64 statements to measure the student‟s suicidal ideation. Scoring was done based
on the response of the samples for each item. The respondents were request to put a tick mark ( ) against any
one of the responses. The responses never, rarely, sometimes and often were given 0,1,2 and 3
respectively.There are 64 statements in the tool therefore one can able to get maximum score of 192 from the
tool.
Norms:
Roughly around sixty minutes may be given for the higher secondary students to read and mark their
responses in in Suicidal Ideation Scale. The norms for interpretation of the scale based on the obtained score are
as follows.
Table 4: Norms for Suicidal Ideation Scale
S.No Scores Obtained in SIS Interpretations of SIS
1. 1-64 Mild
2. 65-128 Moderate
3. 129 and above Severe
Conclusion:
The scale was constructed for measuring suicidal ideation of higher secondary school students. Planned
and systematic efforts were made to validate thetool using appropriate statistical techniques and so the scale can
be used to measure the suicidal ideation of the students belonging to the age group 17 to 22. The findings ofthe
tool will be helpful to identity whether there exists suicidal ideation among this age group and if so to what
extent. Proper administration of the tool can provide valid cues to identify the affected students and take
appropriate preventive measures by counselling the students, with the moral and emotional support of parents,
teachers and friends.
References:
1. Barraclough, B., & Shepherd, D. (1994). A necessary neologism: The origin and uses of suicide.
Suicide and Life-threatening Behaviour, 24(2), 113-126. Retrieved from
2. Economic Times. (2018). Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes .com/news /politics-and-
nation/suicide-a-leading-death-cause-in-india-study/articleshow/65788475.cms
3. Garrett, H. E. (2005). Statistics in psychology & education. Paragon International Publishers, New
Delhi.
4. Gliatto, m. F.,&Rai, A. K. (1999). Evaluation and treatment of patients with suicidal ideation.
American Family Physician, 59(6), 1500-18506. Retrieved from https://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/0315
/p1500.html
5. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1943-278X.1994.tb00796.x
6. India Today. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/
story/suicide-rate-per-year-countries-who-1337780-2018-09-11
7. Linehan, M.M., & Nielsen. (1981). Assessment of suicide ideation and Para suicide: Hopelessness and
social desirability. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 773-775.
8. Ngilneii.(2017). Statistics of Suicide in India. Retrieved from https://www.medindia.net/health_
statistics/general/suicide-in-india-statistics.asp
9. Osman, A., Bagge CL., Guitierrez PM., Konick, LC, Kooper, BA, Barrios, FX.,(2001). The Suicidal
Behaviour Questionnaire Revised (SBQ-R): Validation with Clinical Samples, Assessment, (5), 443-
454.
10. Waghorn, M. (2016)). Mirror. Retrieved from https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/humans-
simply-natural-born-killers-8937887
Annexure 1:
Suicidal Ideation Scale (SIS) - Final Tool:
Instruction:
Please read the 64 statements given below. Each statement has four responses: Never, Rarely,
Sometimes and Often. Mark your response, that you feel appropriate, against the choice of yours, by putting a
tick mark () on it. The results will be kept confidential and be used only for the research purpose.
232
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Often
S.No Cues
I Psychological Reasons
1. Have you ever thought of your future aims and felt depressed?
Have you ever thought of self-harm when you failed in exams because of
2
bad friendship?
Have you ever got depressed when you feel that you have poor
3.
administration skills?
Have you ever thought of self-injury because of the death of your loved
4.
ones?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because of not having good
5.
relationship with friends?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide about getting punishment
6.
before others for a small mistake committed earlier?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide whenever you lose your self-
7.
respect among friends?
Have you ever got depressed when you are ignored based on your
8.
complexion?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when the teacher came to
9.
know your mistakes?
10. Have you ever thought of committing suicide because of love failure?
Have you ever got depressed when you felt alone losing parents and
11.
relations?
II Study Reasons
Have you ever felt depressed and thought of committing suicide when you
12.
scored low marks?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you did not get your
13.
favorite subject?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you are not able to write
14.
your exam properly even though there was enough time?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you are not able to
15.
expose your personal talents at school level?
Have you ever thought of self-injury when you are not able to score high
16.
marks because of selecting subject that you disliked?
Have you ever got depressed when your parents advised for scoring low
17.
marks in exams?
Have you ever got depressed when the teacher teaches without interval in
18.
class?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide about your problems in
19.
learning?
Have you ever got depressed about your disability in understanding
20.
subjects?
Have you ever got depressed about the hindrances arise because of spelling
21.
mistakes in writing?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide whenever you lost valuable
22.
things in classroom and parents being strict?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because of the syllabus being
23.
difficult?
Have you ever got depressed as you cannot score mark because of
24.
mathematical error mistakes?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you advised for your
25.
mistakes?
26. Have you ever got depressed when a teacher disliked by you takes classes?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you got depressed after
27.
comparing your marks with friends?
233
Have you ever got depressed for not getting favourable environment during
28.
examinations?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you could not continue
29.
your studies because of family circumstances?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide due to the strictness forced in
30.
schools?
Have you ever got depressed when the prize you deserved was awarded to
31.
another in the school?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide of the unexpected incidents
32.
happened during school days?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you were not able to
33.
pay your school fees?
Have you ever got depressed of the differences shown among the students
34.
of private and government schools?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you could not continue
35.
your studies because of family circumstances?
Have you ever got depressed because of the distractions in education caused
36.
by others?
III Physical Reasons
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you could not write
37.
your examinations because of illness?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because you are a differently
38.
abled person?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because your health is
39.
affected due to drug addiction?
40. Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you lost in sports?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when your health is affected
41.
because of long time smoking habits?
IV Social Reasons
Have you ever got depressed because of not getting your favourite course
42.
due to family circumstances?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you have to complete
43.
with your relations?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when the society strongly
44.
condemned for the fault you haven‟t committed?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you got depressed of the
45.
fight between your parents?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when losing your rights due to
46.
birth order?
47. Have you ever got depressed when you are affected by sexual harassment?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you got depressed when
48.
the society strongly condemns your fault?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because of religious
49.
discrimination?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because of the effects of
50.
change in environment?
Have you ever got depressed as you don‟t have anyone to guide in the
51.
society?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you got depressed due
52.
to fight between your parents?
Have you ever got depressed when you were denied opportunities by the
53.
society?
54. Have you ever thought of committing suicide of your parent‟s remarriage?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because of your parents‟
55.
divorce?
56. Have you ever thought of committing suicide due to caste discrimination?
Have you ever got depressed as there were no elderly people in your family
57.
to offer advice?
234
V Economic Reasons
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you were not able to
58.
fulfill your desire due to economic status?
Have you ever got depressed because of the economic status of your
59.
parents?
Have you ever got depressed because you don‟t have basic facility in your
60.
house for studying?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because you were not able to
61.
reach your goal due to economic status?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you could not fulfill
62.
your necessities because of a large family?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide when you felt that your
63.
parents did not occupy a high socio economic status?
Have you ever thought of committing suicide because you are unable to
64.
continue your higher education due to economic status?
235

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International Journal of Computational Research and Development (IJCRD)

Impact Factor: 5.015, ISSN (Online): 2456 - 3137

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