Validation of the Suicide Risk Assessment Confidence Scale shows strong reliability in evaluating clinician confidence, indicating implications for patient care.
Key Points
To develop and validate the Suicide Risk Assessment Confidence Scale (SRACS) for assessing clinician confidence in suicide risk evaluation.
Involved 367 clinicians in focus groups to develop scale items
Refined items with an expert panel
Administered a preliminary 73-item scale to 375 NHS mental health professionals
Utilized exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis for validation
Confirmed a four-factor structure: Professional Conduct, Worry, Competence, and Deference
Demonstrated good internal consistency across subscales
Supported by confirmatory analysis of the four-factor model