NCJ Number
79128
Date Published
1976
Length
123 pages
Annotation
This study was designed to identify and understand male prison inmates who had attempted suicide in their history prior to their incarceration.
Abstract
The objectives were (1) the comparison of inmates who had indicated that they had attempted suicide in their past, with inmates who had not, on 33 behavioral and personal variables; and (2) development of a suicide attempt scale by means of an item analysis on the responses of suicide attempt and nonsuicide attempt inmates to the items of the Bipolar Psychological Inventory (BPI). This scale was named the BPI Suicide Attempt Scale. Another study objective was development of a composite suicide attempt scale; the components selected for this scale would be the BPI Suicide Attempt Scale and/or 1 or more of the 33 personal and behavioral variables. This scale was named the Criminal Suicide Attempt Scale. Based on an original and a replication sample of suicide attempt inmates and nonsuicide attempt inmates at the Utah State Prison, with those in the original sample being younger, the study found that of the 33 personal and behavioral variables, only one of them -- prior drug use -- differentiated each of the 2 groups within each of the 2 samples. The BPI Suicide Attempt Scale was able to differentiate the two groups of the replication sample at the 0.001 level. The Criminal Suicide Attempt Scale was shown to have moderate accuracy in identifying inmates likely to attempt suicide. A supplementary study corroborated the significance of the following factors indicated in the Literature to be associated with suicidal individuals, physic pain, family discord, and dependence. Tables, footnotes, and about 30 references are provided. The study instruments are appended. (Author abstract modified)