Asking adolescents to explain discrepancies in self-reported suicidality.
We present a typology of adolescents' most common explanations for discrepant reporting of suicidal behavior. Forty-eight adolescents provided attempt histories by completing a self-report measure of suicidality. A select number of items were subsequently readministered (average interval = 5 days) using a semistructured interview format. Discrepancies in reporting were found among 50% of the sample. Adolescents were also asked to clarify, using an open-ended format, what might have accounted for a particular discrepancy. Based on these responses, seven mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories were derived. High rates of interrater agreement indicated that these categories were reliable.
Department of Psychological Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306-0520, USA. dvelting@gw.bsu.edu
D M
DM
Velting
J H
JH
Rathus
G M
GM
Asnis
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D015982:Bias; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012650:Self Disclosure; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000145:classification*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention