Predicting suicide attempt history in a psychiatric inpatient sample: A replication and extension.

Abstract

Press) profile configurations to predict which individuals engage in suicidal behavior using an outpatient psychiatric sample. Their results revealed that an interaction of overarousal [Hypomanic Activation (RC9) or Activation (ACT)] and shutdown [Demoralization (RCd)] indicators predicted increased history of suicide attempts. The purpose of the present study was to replicate and extend these results to a psychiatric inpatient sample in order to determine their generalizability to a clinically severe, at-risk population. The present study examined 581 valid MMPI-2-RF protocols of adult psychiatric inpatients who endorsed any level of suicide ideation on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS; Posner et al., The American Journal of Psychiatry, 2011Psychiatry, , 168, 1266 in the 2 weeks prior to admission. Results revealed that in four of the six models tested, shutdown (Low Positive Emotions [RC2], Helplessness/Hopelessness [HLP]) but not overactivation (RC9, ACT) indicators provided an additional prediction of suicide attempt history beyond Suicidal/Death Ideation (SUI) and the covariates. The two models containing RCd did not provide additional predictive value above Suicidal/Death Ideation (SUI) with main effects or interaction terms. Overall, our results do not replicate those of Stanley et al. (Psychological Assessment, 2018, 20, 1249. Furthermore, while SUI was the best predictor of a history of suicide attempts, results indicate the main effects of RC2 and HLP were negative predictors of prior suicide attempts. Limitations of the study and clinical implications of the results are discussed. Public Significance StatementThis study attempted to replicate and extend the results of Stanley et al. (Psychological Assessment, 2018, 20, 1249 to a psychiatric inpatient sample. Although the present study did not replicate those of the outpatients in the Stanley et al. (Psychological Assessment, 2018, 20, 1249 study, results showed that in most models, low scores on shutdown (social isolation and self-alienation) indicators provided an additional prediction of suicide attempts.