Reasons for Living Among U.S. Army Personnel Thinking About Suicide

AbstractReasons for living are associated with reduced suicide risk, but have not received much empirical attention among U.S. military personnel, a population with elevated suicide risk. The present study examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Brief Reasons for Living Inventory (BRFLI) in a clinical sample of 97 treatment-seeking Army personnel with recent suicide ideation and/or a history of suicide attempts. Results supported a five-factor structure for the BRFLI. Each factor had good internal consistency ( ω’s >  0.94) and demonstrated convergent and divergent validity. Survival and coping beliefs and responsibility to family subscale scores were negatively correlated with recent suicidal thinking. Responsibility to family subscale scores were associated with significantly reduced risk of suicide attempts during follow-up. BRFLI subscale scores showed little to no clinical responsivity following intervention. Results suggest survival and coping beliefs and responsibility to family may be protective for high-risk military personnel.
Source: Cognitive Therapy and Research - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research