Psychometric validation of the French version of the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS-FR)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to validate in French the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) using an online community survey that was completed by 2304 French-speaking Quebec participants (adolescents and adults). The SIDAS-FR demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .83), a unifactorial structure, and strong convergent validity with relevant constructs. Cutoff scores of ≥13 for moderate severity and ≥20 for high severity of suicidal ideations were optimal. The excellent psychometric properties of the French-Canadian version of the SIDAS support its use as an effective tool for online screening of suicidal ideations, for both adolescents and adults.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Hugues Leduc, M.Sc. for his assistance in performing the statistical analyses, to the team of research assistants who translated the SIDAS and Jim Kroening and Luc Dargis for their help in editing the paper. Many thanks to the communication team of the Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide and Violette Kerleaux for their contributions to the communication strategy for recruiting participants. Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Bregje A. J. Van Spijker and Dr Philip J. Batterham, who gave us permission to use and translate the SIDAS.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed by the Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide, in the context of the development of a national strategy for online suicide prevention.