title: Reliability, validity and factorial structure of the Arabic version of the international suicide prevention trial (InterSePT) scale for suicidal thinking in schizophrenia patients in Doha, Qatar.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with schizophrenia are known to have higher rates of mortality and morbidity when compared to the general population. Suicidality is a major contributor to increased mortality. The International Suicide Prevention Trial (InterSePT) Scale for Suicidal Thinking (ISST) is a validated tool to assess current suicidal ideation in patients with schizophrenia. The aims of the study were to culturally adapt the Arabic translation of ISST and to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Arabic version of the ISST among patients with schizophrenia in Qatar.
  
  
  METHODS
  ISST was translated and adapted into formal Arabic using the back translation method. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were randomly recruited from the department of Psychiatry, Rumailah Hospital, Doha, Qatar. Healthy controls were randomly recruited from two primary health care centers in Doha, Qatar. The Arabic version of Module B for suicidality in Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used as the gold standard to which the Arabic ISST was compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study sample (n = 199) was composed of 100 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (age 35.30 ± 10.04 years; M/F is 2/1) and 99 controls (age 33.98 ± 8.33 years; M/F is 2/3). The mean score on the ISST was 3.03 ± 4.75 vs. 0.47 ± 1.44 for the schizophrenia and control groups, respectively. Inter-rater reliability coefficient was 0.95, p > 0.001. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.92. Principal Component Analysis produced 3 factors explaining a total of 73.8% of variance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study in the Arab countries to validate the Arabic version of the ISST. The psychometric properties indicate that the Arabic ISST is a valid tool to assess the severity of suicidal ideation in Arabic patients with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Samer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hammoudeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Suhaila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghuloum
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Ziyad
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mahfoud
authors.affiliation: CSO-Prophase, LLC, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Opler
authors.affiliation: CSO-Prophase, LLC, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Anzalee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Arij
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yehya
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Abdulmoneim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdulhakam
authors.affiliation: Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Azza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Mujalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Yahya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hani
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Reem
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elsherbiny
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Education City, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar. haa2019@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Hassen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Amin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008877:Middle East; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011780:Qatar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating; D014177:Translations; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
keywords: Arabs; Schizophrenia; Suicidality; Suicide scales