Development and initial psychometric properties of the University of Texas at San Antonio Future Disposition Inventory.

We describe the development and initial psychometric properties of a 24-item self-report measure, the University of Texas at San Antonio Future Disposition Inventory (UTSA FDI). This instrument is designed to evaluate future related thoughts and feelings that are associated with suicide-related risk behaviors: positive focus, suicide orientation, and negative focus. The items were generated by clinical and nonclinical samples. The structure of the instrument was defined in a sample of 350 university undergraduate students (Study 1). Using CFA, we confirmed the fit of the 3-factor solution in an independent sample of college age students (n=452; Study 2). Scale reliability estimates were good (all rho's>or=.80) in both studies. Known-groups validation analyses showed that scores on each scale were useful in differentiating the responses of the study groups. Correlates for the scales were identified when scores on measures of suicide-related risk and general psychological symptoms were included as validation self-report instruments.