The interpersonal needs questionnaire with a shortened response scale for oral administration with older adults

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the interpersonal needs questionnaire (INQ) using a modified three-point response scale for oral administration with older adults.

Methods: In-home interviews were conducted with 269 participants aged 60 and older who were completing an eligibility interview for a randomized control trial. The INQ was administered orally, as were measures of social support, death and suicide ideation, and meaning in life.

Results: A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated acceptable fit, with all of the items loading significantly onto the associated latent variable of thwarted belongingness or perceived burdensomeness. Construct validity of the measure was supported through an examination of discriminant validity using constructs hypothesized by the interpersonal theory of suicide to be related to the measured constructs, including social support and social integration for thwarted belongingness, social worth and death ideation for perceived burdensomeness, and meaning in life and suicide ideation for both.

Conclusion: The INQ yields reliable and valid scores of thwarted belongingness and burdensomeness when administered orally using a shortened response scale with older adults. These results help establish the measure as a valuable and practical tool for use in the field of late-life suicide prevention.

Keywords:

• interpersonal needs questionnaire
• older adults
• thwarted belongingness
• perceived burdensomeness
• suicide prevention

Acknowledgements

The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

This research was supported in part by Grant Nos. U01CE001942 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [grant number U01CE001942]; and the National Institute of Mental Health [grant number K23MH096936].