Evaluation of Suicide Risk Assessment Measures in an Israel Defense Forces Military Sample

The present study evaluates the psychometric properties of 4 commonly used measures of suicidal ideation and behaviors (Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation [BSS], Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale [C-SSRS], Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire [SHBQ], and Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire—Revised [SBQ–R]) among a sample of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers. Measures were translated to Hebrew and completed by 65 active duty IDF soldiers who were recently hospitalized for at least 24 hours following a suicide attempt. Internal consistency and Pearson’s r correlation analyses were conducted for all measures to test the reliability and validity of the measures. Findings support the reliability and validity of common suicide risk assessment measures among a sample of IDF soldiers. Instruments demonstrated acceptable-to-excellent internal consistency (as D .72 to .93), save for the SBQ–R (a D .57). Further, all measures demonstrated associations as expected, suggesting convergent and divergent validity. The BSS, C-SSRS, and SHBQ can be reliably and validly used among IDF soldiers.