Development and Validation of the Fearlessness About Suicide Scale

Abstract

Recent work has identified fearlessness about suicide, rather than fearlessness about death, as more theoretically relevant in the assessment of capability for suicide and thus a more appropriate construct of measurement. The aim of the current project was to develop and validate a scale specifically assessing fearlessness about suicide. Across two studies, support for a 7-item, single-factor structure of the Fearlessness About Suicide Scale (FSS) emerged. The FSS factor structure demonstrated a good fit in the first study and was replicated in the second study. Measurement invariance was examined across those identifying as men and women and found to be comparable. The FSS also demonstrated test–rest reliability and good convergent and divergent validity in community and undergraduate samples. Overall, findings indicate that the FSS has a replicable factor structure that generalizes across those identifying as men and women and may better assess components of capability for suicide than existing scales.