Development and validation of the 9-item Concise Mental Health Checklist (CMHC-9) for suicide risk assessment
Journal
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Journal Volume
118
Journal Issue
9
Pages
1308-1316
Date Issued
2019
Author(s)
Abstract
Background/Purpose: Early detection of suicide risk is a challenge in suicide prevention. A comprehensive yet efficient tool providing timely identification of key risk factors allows healthcare providers to initiate interventions. The study aims to validate the 9-item Concise Mental Health Checklist (CMHC-9). Methods: A series of cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 3982 participants from psychiatric outpatient (n = 931), medical outpatient (n = 931) and community (n = 2120) populations. The factor analysis with internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach's α) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were performed to evaluate the scale's reliability and validity. Results: The internal consistency of the CMHC-9 was satisfactory based on Cronbach's α values for the total sample (α = 0.79) and the three sub-samples (i.e., α = 0.76 for psychiatric subjects; 0.67 for community subjects; and 0.69 for medical outpatient subjects). Hierarchical exploratory factor analysis revealed that the CMHC-9 was a single-dimensional scale with two-factor structure of psychopathology and suicidality. The two-factor solution was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The optimal cut-off of 3/4 obtained from the ROC analysis represented a satisfactory sensitivity (92%) and specificity (82%) in identifying recent suicide ideation. Conclusion: This large-scale study confirmed the CMHC-9 as a brief and effective tool for suicide risk detection. It is recommended that CMHC-9 can be used for care engagement and risk identification in both medical and community settings among people at risk for suicide. ? 2019 Formosan Medical Association
SDGs
Other Subjects
9 item concise mental health checklist; adult; aged; Article; clinical assessment tool; confirmatory factor analysis; cross-sectional study; exploratory factor analysis; factor analysis; female; general mental disease assessment; human; internal consistency; major clinical study; male; mental disease; outpatient department; receiver operating characteristic; risk assessment; sensitivity and specificity; suicidal ideation; suicide; validation study; adolescent; checklist; mental health; middle aged; outpatient; procedures; psychology; psychometry; reproducibility; risk factor; suicide attempt; Taiwan; young adult; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Checklist; Cross-Sectional Studies; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Outpatients; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; ROC Curve; Sensitivity and Specificity; Suicide, Attempted; Taiwan; Young Adult
Type
journal article