Fearlessness About Suicide Scale

Abstract

The Fearlessness About Suicide Scale (FSS) is a specialized psychological scale developed to quantify an individual’s diminished fear regarding death and self-harm. Its theoretical foundation rests upon the core tenets of the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS), specifically assessing the acquired capability for suicide, often conceptualized as fearlessness.

Developed and validated across two studies, the FSS is a concise, 7-item instrument. It has demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including high internal consistency (reliability) and robust construct validity. Furthermore, testing confirmed measurement invariance, assuring that the scale operates consistently across different demographics, specifically men and women.

Keywords

Fearlessness About Suicide Scale, FSS, IPTS, Acquired Capability, Suicide Risk, Assessment, Fearlessness, Psychological Scale.

Authors

Grunewald, William, Perkins, Natalie M., Jeon, Min Eun, Klonsky, E. David, Joiner, Thomas E., Smith, April R.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the FSS is to measure the extent of an individual’s fearlessness concerning lethal self-injury. Within the framework of the IPTS, this construct is critical, as it differentiates individuals who merely think about suicide from those who possess the acquired capability to act on those thoughts.

The scale serves as a refined clinical and research tool for assessing this crucial component of suicide risk, providing a psychometrically sound measure that utilizes previously validated item concepts adapted from existing instruments.

Construct

The FSS measures Acquired Capability for Suicide, specifically focusing on the diminished fear of death and pain associated with suicidal acts. According to the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS), suicidal desire (driven by thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness) only translates into a lethal attempt when coupled with the acquired capability—the habituation to painful or frightening experiences.

The construct is operationalized by assessing the degree to which an individual views the act of killing oneself as non-frightening, non-painful, or manageable, reflecting a habituation achieved through repeated exposure to painful or provocative life events.

Validity

The original development studies established robust evidence for the validity of the FSS. The scale demonstrated strong construct validity, confirming that it accurately measures the intended construct of fearlessness about suicide, distinct yet related to other components of the IPTS.

Furthermore, concurrent validity was established through expected correlations with measures of painful and provocative events, which are theorized precursors to acquired capability. The scale’s utility is further supported by evidence of its predictive capacity for suicidal behavior, consistent with theoretical predictions.

Reliability

The FSS exhibits strong internal reliability, indicating high internal consistency among the seven items. This suggests that the items consistently measure the same underlying construct. Reliability was confirmed across diverse samples utilized during the scale’s development and validation phases.

The consistency of the measurement across different populations (gender invariance) also confirms its robust structure and dependability as a stable measure of the acquired capability component of suicide risk.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis conducted during the validation process confirmed the unidimensional structure of the FSS. The analysis demonstrated that the seven items load onto a single, coherent factor, supporting the scale’s theoretical grounding that fearlessness about suicide is a singular underlying construct.

This finding simplifies interpretation, allowing researchers and clinicians to use a single total score (ranging from 0 to 42) as a clear indicator of the level of acquired capability.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Scale

Format: 7 items rated using a 7-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 0 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). Total scores range from 0 to 42.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: General and Clinical Populations

Age Group: Adults (Implied by context of validation studies)

Population Details: Tested for measurement invariance across men and women.

Test Methodology: Summation of responses, with four items requiring reverse-coding before summation.

Keywords

Acquired capability, Suicidality, Fearlessness, Death Anxiety, Psychological Assessment, Grunewald, IPTS.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was published and validated in 2024. Specific permissions and fee structures must be sought directly from the corresponding author, April R. Smith, or the publisher, SAGE Journals, for use in commercial or large-scale academic research. The original publication provides the definitive reference for scale usage.

The original research paper describing the scale can be accessed via the digital object identifier (DOI).

Reference’s

Grunewald, William, Perkins, Natalie M., Jeon, Min Eun, Klonsky, E. David, Joiner, Thomas E., & Smith, April R. (2024). Development and validation of the Fearlessness About Suicide Scale. Assessment, Vol 31(6), 1189-1203. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10731911231200866

Items of the Fearlessness About Suicide Scale

Note. Items are presented on a seven-point Likert-type scale from 0 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). Total scores are obtained by summing all item responses, with a possible range of scores from 0 to 42. *The item was reverse-coded.