Integratively Assessing Risk and Protective Factors for Adolescent Suicide

This article briefly reviews key issues in adolescent suicide risk assessment and proposes that assessing risk and protective factors in combination has the best probability of informing the field's understanding of this complex problem. Several newer measures are described along with summaries of their psychometric properties. A recommended protocol utilizing 4 developmentally appropriate, valid, and reliable self-report measures is suggested as a parsimonious way of gathering information on the range of risk and protective factors. Finally, a novel approach of employing short-term longitudinal studies to test models of adolescent suicide attempts is described along with a rationale for not focusing research efforts on completed suicide. Implications of this approach for prevention efforts conclude the article.