Psychometric assessment of the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire Junior: a two-study validation in Spanish-speaking adolescents

Suicide ideation is prevalent and associated with negative adolescent outcomes, including psychopathology and suicide-related behaviors. Despite the increasing research aimed at improving the capability to predict, the evidence on which of the available tools is best for specific populations or settings, such as educational settings, is inconclusive. We examined the psychometric properties of the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire Junior (SIQ-JR) through two studies conducted with Spanish-speaking students from the general population. Study 1 (n ₁ = 619, female = 51.21%) explored the underlying factor structure and internal consistency of the measure. Study 2 (n ₂ = 524, female = 43.51%) aimed to confirm the factor structure, equivalence of suicidal ideation measurement for male and female subjects, validity, sensitivity, and specificity of the scale. Our results demonstrated that the three-factor structure proposed by the original authors had the best fit. Additionally, there we found good internal consistency for the full scale and subscales in both samples (ω ≥.772; α ≥.772). We also found evidence supporting convergent and concurrent validity of the SIQ-JR. Our findings suggest that the SIQ-JR is a valid and reliable measure for the assessment of suicidal ideation in Spanish-speaking adolescents aged 14–19 from the general population.