Precis Future Med.  2023 Mar;7(1):25-32. 10.23838/pfm.2022.00100.

Validation of the highly sensitive person scale for suicide screening in high-risk groups: A case-control study

• Cho Y
• Yook V
• Choi YH
• Park MJ
• Kim H
• Jeon HJ

• KMID: 2541461
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.23838/pfm.2022.00100

Abstract

Purpose
High sensitivity is among the risk factors that increase psychological burden, increasing the risk of suicide in some people. The aim of the study was to develop a Korean version of the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) scale and investigate its psychometric properties. Diagnostic validity was evaluated to identify those with high suicidal risk.
Methods
A total of 176 participants were recruited from the 12 hospital-based Crisis Response Centers across South Korea. As a case-control study, we used two groups: suicidal risk group and control group. Those with suicidal ideation or attempts were classified as suicidal risk group, and the control group sample were recruited from the Crisis Response Centers workers. Tests for internal consistency and concurrent validity with other scales were conducted.
Results
Results showed strong item-total correlation and concurrent validity. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.881. The HSP cutoff score of 13 yielded the best balance between sensitivity (74%) and specificity (87%). Construct validity was supported by a one-factor model using exploratory factor analysis.
Conclusion
Overall, the current study supports the use of HSP in psychiatric settings as a valid screening tool for suicidal risk.

Keyword

Risk factors; ROC curve; Suicide