Psychometric properties evaluation of the Indonesian version of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) questionnaire using a Rasch model

OBJECTIVE: This study used the Rasch model to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) questionnaire in the case of College Students. The BSSI is a measure for assessing suicidal ideation. Despite being a widely used instrument to examine suicidality, there is a limited report about the psychometric evaluation of its Indonesian version. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The BSSI was given to 103 Indonesian university students selected through a simple random sampling technique from various faculties. The sample in this study was aged between 19 and 21. RESULTS: The results showed that the BSSI’s factor structure was unidimensional, based on the evidence from a confirmatory factor in combination with Rasch analyses. The unidimensional indicates that the BSSI questionnaire measures one dominant variable, namely suicidal ideation. Furthermore, the items fit the model, their response categories functioned well, and no local item dependence was identified. The results of the BSSI questionnaire reliability test using Winstep show that item reliability and person reliability are 0.96 and 0.86, respectively. These results indicate that the items in the BSSI questionnaire can measure suicidal ideation accurately. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that BSSI’s psychometric properties were reliable and valid for measuring Indonesian college students’ suicidal ideation.