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Validity of the Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire with Diverse Adolescents

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Abstract

Suicide and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSI) continue to be significant health problems for adolescents. Although there are many instruments available to assess self-harm behaviors, few have been validated for use with adolescents, and even fewer have been validated for use with different racial/ethnic groups. The Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire (SHBQ) assesses NSSI, suicidal ideation, suicide threats, and past suicide attempts. Data from 1,386 racially/ethnically diverse adolescents (57.5% minority) were collected to examine the validity of the SHBQ in this age group. Analyses supported the four-factor structure, revealed the SHBQ is internally consistent, and provided evidence for convergent validity within Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic adolescents. However, slight differences were noted. Overall, the findings suggest the SHBQ is a useful assessment tool appropriate for use with Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic adolescents.

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Notes

  1. To prevent confusion over terms used to describe the different behaviors assessed by the SHBQ, the following definitions based on Silverman et al. (2007) taxonomy were used: self-harm is used as a general descriptor of behaviors both with and without intent to die; non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is an act resulting in immediate tissue damage in which there was no conscious intent to die; suicide attempt is an act that may or may not have resulted in injuries for which there was some conscious intent to die; suicide ideation refers to having thoughts of or wishes to die by one’s own actions; and suicide threat refers to interpersonal communications that one is considering engaging in an act that could lead to death

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, 319 Harvard St stop 8380, Grand Forks, ND, 58282, USA

    Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp & Margaret L. Cowles

  2. Denver VA Medical Center, Denver, USA

    Peter M. Gutierrez

Authors
  1. Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp
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  2. Margaret L. Cowles
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  3. Peter M. Gutierrez
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Correspondence to Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp.

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Muehlenkamp, J.J., Cowles, M.L. & Gutierrez, P.M. Validity of the Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire with Diverse Adolescents. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 32, 236–245 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-009-9131-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-009-9131-7

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