[Fearlessness about Death and Suicidal Behavior: Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Revised Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale (ACSS-FAD)].

OBJECTIVES

The Acquired Capability of Suicide Scale (ACSS-FAD) assesses fearlessness about death according to the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide. Psychometric properties of the German version of the ACSS-FAD are investigated.

METHODS

Dimensionality and validity were analysed in a sample of N=268 undergraduate students.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis replicated the unidimensionality of the measure. Correlations with suicidal ideation (r= .05) and self-reported capability for suicide (r= .14) supported the validity of the scale, while the association with depression (r= - .20) is not in line with the theory. Male participants and participants reporting past self-injurious behaviour/suicidal attempts did not show higher levels of fearlessness about death.

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrates good psychometric properties of the German ACSS-FAD and largely supports the validity of the measure. However, future research needs to further investigate the validity of the ACSS-FAD (i.e. testing the utility of the instrument in predicting suicidal behaviour in patients at risk).