Psychometric Properties of the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation in a Diverse Sample

Suicidal ideation disproportionately impacts minoritized populations; yet, these populations have been historically underrepresented in the development and validation of risk assessments, including the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS). The current study investigated the psychometric properties of the BSS in a combined sample (N = 1,026) of minoritized adults to examine its generalizability across diverse identities. Item response theory (IRT) models were estimated, and parameters including differential item functioning (DIF) were evaluated. Results showed that the original BSS and a 5-item BSS devised in a majority-aligning sample had significant model misspecification in the current study’s diverse sample, but a reduced 14-item and 8-item scale has good properties and may be better-performing alternatives. DIF results supported measurement invariance of the BSS across race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, social class, and history of suicide attempts. Inclusion of certain suicidal behaviors (e.g., writing a note) into an assessment of suicidal ideation may not be effective.