Why Young People Do Not Kill Themselves: The Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents

Assessed the reliability, validity, and predictive power of a new measure, the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents (RFL-A; Osman et al., 1998). A group of 206 (101 boys and 105 girls) adolescent psychiatric inpatients completed the RFL-A, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for Adolescents (Butcher et al., 1992), and a packet of self-report measures. Additional information about the patients including diagnosis and suicide status were obtained from their medical records. It was determined that the RFL-A is a valid and reliable measure of adolescent suicide risk potential. Additionally, the RFL-A possesses better predictive power than the Beck Hopelessness Scale (Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974). A discussion of the clinical and research utility of the RFL-A is included along with suggestions for future research.