Clinical Improvements of Suicidal Outpatients: Examining Suicide Status Form Responses as Predictors and Moderators

This investigation used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine whether index responses on the Suicide Status Form (SSF) moderated the predicted session-to-session change over course of care in overall symptoms and suicidal ideation. Ninety-two suicidal patients at a university counseling center were studied. Overall, suicidal patients improved symptomatically and decreased their suicidal ideation over the course of care. SSF index ratings of overall risk of suicide significantly moderated the predicted session-to-session change in suicidal ideation over the course of care; patient ratings of frequency of suicidal thoughts were also moderated by index SSF ratings of hopelessness and self-hate. These findings partially replicated earlier data of differential treatment response outcomes and provide valuable assessment and treatment information that is relevant to future research and successful clinical care of suicidal outpatients.