Reliability and validity of the suicide intervention response inventory

Abstract

The Suicide Intervention Response Inventory assesses the delicate balance of responses needed when someone is suicidal. To assess its reliability and validity, 177 practice teachers and 26 crisis-intervention volunteers completed it before and after a suicide-intervention training package. Internal reliability was strong (coefficient alpha = .83). Validity was modest. On the positive side, practice teachers who received training improved as expected, and experienced crisis-intervention volunteers scored higher than inexperienced volunteers as expected. On the negative side, factor analysis resulted in low factor loadings that were inconsistent with those previously reported. Changing item format could lessen the ceiling effect found in some previous studies and probably enhance the usefulness of this instrument.