Development and validation of a questionnaire to measure association factors with suicide : An instrument for a populational survey

Abstract

Background and aims: Our goal was to develop an online questionnaire to survey the prevalence of suicidal behavior.

Methods: We developed a questionnaire with 51 variables and proceeded with validations. Validations were performed using face validity, content validity, and construct validity. Reliability was performed by test-rest.

Results: The face validity was 1.0 and the content validity was 0.91. The exploratory factor analysis got Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin = 0.86 and extracted one principal factor. The confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates root mean square error of approximation = 0.000 and comparative fit index = 1.000. The test-retest had an intraclass correlated coefficient of 0.98.

Conclusion: The adequate development questionnaire was validated, and we have an instrument to survey suicide behaviors during the pandemic time.

Patient or public contribution: The general population of Marília voluntarily responded to the questionnaire, as well as patients from the principal investigator's office.

Keywords: questionnaire; reliability; suicide; validity.

Figure 1

Three main variables with six derivatives and 20 secondary variables with. twenty‐two secondary variables. The three main variables are questions about suicidal ideation, programming and suicide attempt. The 20 secondary variables are the factors to be correlated with the main variables. This 23 variables had derived especifications.

Figure 2

Theoretical factors for the development of the questionnaire. The three main factors were correlated with the other 48 factors within aspects suicide. as primary support, secondary support, comorbidities, religiosity, education, occupation, and life's history.

Graphic 1

17 components with an eigenvalue greater than or equal to 1. Bartlett's Sphericity Test rejected the null hypothesis that the variables correlate with. zero and the Kaiser−Meyer−Olkin measure was 0.86 (p level < 0.000). Exploratory. factor analysis was performed with all 51 variables using the principal component analysis method with rotation by oblimin with a selection of components with. eigenvalue greater than or equal to 1. Although 17 factors were extracted in. exploratory factor analysis, we noticed that only two of them are differentiated.

Figure 3

Design for construct analysis. The three main variables and one of the secondary variables, that directly. addressed the suicide theme, were correlated with their respective derivatives. The confirmatory factor analysis process is quite dynamic and requires multiple tests. Finally, it was identified that the model that correlates the errors in this specific is the one that demonstrates the most perfect abstract concept of the questionnaire. We obtained an RMSEA of 0.000 and a CFI of 1.000, with 21° of freedom and p level < [χ ² = 183.423] (reference values: RMSEA < 0.08 and CFI > 0.95), thus validating the construct.