Sentence Completion Test

Abstract

The Sentence Completion Test (SCT), developed by Herman Y. Efron in 1960, functions primarily as a psychological screener designed to identify the presence of suicidal ideation among psychiatric patients within hospital environments. This instrument utilizes a projective format, consisting of 54 incomplete sentences. The composition of the test includes items adapted from existing measures alongside newly created prompts, with a notable emphasis on capturing depressive themes. Following administration, trained raters evaluate the completed sentences, categorizing the patient responses as characteristic of suicidal, assaultive, or non-suicidal/non-assaultive individuals, while also documenting their confidence levels in these clinical judgments.

Keywords

Assaultive Patients, Group-Administered Test, Psychiatric Hospital Patients, Self-Report, Sentence Completion Test, Suicidal Ideation, Depressive Themes, Projective Technique.

Authors

Efron, Herman Y.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Sentence Completion Test is to efficiently screen for and detect indicators of suicidal ideation in clinical populations. Specifically, it was designed for use with psychiatric patients admitted to hospital settings where immediate risk assessment is crucial for safety and treatment planning. Its function as a screener suggests its utility in rapid, preliminary evaluation rather than definitive diagnosis.

Construct

The central psychological construct measured by this instrument is Suicidal Ideation in Hospital Patients. This construct encompasses the thoughts, wishes, and preoccupations related to ending one’s own life, specifically observed within the high-risk environment of a psychiatric inpatient unit. The test attempts to differentiate between patients exhibiting this ideation and those categorized as assaultive or non-symptomatic.

Validity

The original documentation regarding the 1960 publication of the Sentence Completion Test does not indicate the presentation of formal validity data. The initial study focused primarily on the application and scoring methodology rather than comprehensive psychometrics. Therefore, information concerning construct validity, criterion validity, or predictive validity remains unspecified in the foundational literature.

Reliability

Similar to the validity findings, the source material does not provide specific data pertaining to the reliability of the SCT. Measures such as internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha), test-retest reliability, or inter-rater reliability (despite the rater-dependent scoring structure) were not formally reported in the initial publication. Further research would be necessary to establish the dependability of the instrument’s scoring and interpretation.

Factor Analysis

No formal factor analysis has been conducted or reported for the Sentence Completion Test (Efron, 1960). The absence of factor analytical studies means the underlying dimensionality or latent structure of the 54 incomplete sentences has not been empirically confirmed.

Instrument

Test Type: Screener; Projective Technique

Format: Sentence completion (54 incomplete sentences)

Language Available: Not Specified (Presumed English based on publication)

Population Group: Psychiatric hospital patients (including suicidal, assaultive, and non-suicidal/non-assaultive subgroups)

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older)

Population Details: Administered to individuals admitted to psychiatric inpatient facilities who require assessment for potential self-harm or violence risk.

Test Methodology: Paper-and-pencil administration; responses are categorized by external raters who assign confidence levels based on clinical judgment.

Keywords

Group Testing, Patient Violence, Psychiatric Evaluation, Psychiatric Patients, Self-Report, Sentence Completion Tests, Suicidal Ideation, Clinical Assessment.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The test was developed and published in 1960. Information regarding current permissions for use or associated fees is not specified in the original source material. The test items are generally considered unavailable for public dissemination; interested parties should contact the original publisher or rights holders for access and usage permissions.

Reference’s

• Efron, H. Y. (1960). An attempt to employ a sentence completion test for the detection of psychiatric patients with suicidal ideas. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24(2), 156–160. The DOI for this reference is: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0041225

Items of the Sentence Completion Test

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Test items are not publicly available. Please contact the publisher for further information.