Development of a risk-factors questionnaire to assess suicidal ideation among high school students of DKI Jakarta Province, Indonesia

Background: Globally, suicide is a cause of premature death among young people. A survey done in Indonesia’s students revealed that suicidal thought was experienced by around 5%. In Jakarta, a 2015 preliminary study found a higher figure of 18.6% of high school student experienced suicidal ideation. This demonstrated an urgent need for intervention in the prevention and progression from suicidal ideation to suicide attempts. Therefore, this study aims to develop an instrument, named as The Risk Factors of Suicidal Ideation, for early detection of risk factors of suicidal thought in students. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 in Jakarta Province. A research-based, self-administered questionnaire was developed to assess the risk of suicide in high-school students. The study sample comprised 910 students from 10 high schools; the schools were chosen through stratified random sampling. Some statistical analysis was used to show the validity and reliability of this instrument. Results: This study produced a Risk Factors of Suicidal Ideation (RFSI) questionnaire consisting of 14 items incorporating four dimensions: belongingness, loneliness, hopelessness, and burdensomeness. The questionnaire achieved an 88.2% Cronbach’s alpha rating, indicating high reliability. Meanwhile, the instrument’s construct validity ranked high by Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (.812), and a Bartlett test score of <0.0001 confirmed the integrity of its factor analysis. Conclusion: The questionnaire is reliable and valid in assessing the risk factors of suicidal ideation among high-school students of Jakarta Province. Screening as part of an intervention strategy for suicide prevention can have an important role in decreasing suicidal ideation.