A Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale for Adolescents

A new suicidal tendency scale for adolescents is described. The Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST) is a 30-item scale that reflects 4 types of attitudes: attraction towards and repulsion by life and death. In the first phase, 44 items were selected and administered to a mixed sample of adolescents, which included male and female subjects assigned to normative, suicidal, and psychiatric groups. A factor analysis of the responses yielded the 4 hypothesized factors with 30 high-loading items. The 30-item scale was then administered along with the Israeli Index Suicide Potential (IISP) to a new mixed sample of 165 adolescents. The new factor analysis produced the same 4 factors found previously, and the IISP correlated significantly with 3 of the 4 attitudes. MANOVAs revealed that the MAST differentiated suicidal from nonsuicidal groups, suicide ideators from attempters, and suicidal inpatients from outpatients.