Abstract
Attentional fixation is a cognitive process characterized by a narrowing of attention on and preoccupation with suicide as the only solution to one’s problems. The present study sought to investigate the experience of attentional fixation on suicide by establishing the psychometric properties of the Attentional Fixation on Suicide Experiences Questionnaire (AFSEQ) in a sample of 64 patients who recently attempted suicide. The AFSEQ evidenced strong psychometric properties, including good internal consistency and construct validity through moderate correlations with measures of suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, and suicide-relevant cognitive distortions. In addition, an exploratory factor analysis of the AFSEQ identified two factors: Cognitive Dysfunction and Cognitive Stuckness. Results suggest the AFSEQ is a reliable method for assessing the experience of attentional fixation in relation to suicide. We propose future research to further examine attentional fixation as a proximal risk factor for suicidal behavior.
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Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Grant 547660 (PI: A. Wenzel) and NIH grants T32 MH083745-02 and P20 MH071905 (PI: A. T. Beck).
Conflict of Interest
Abby Adler, Shari Jager-Hyman, Kelly L. Green, Gregory K. Brown, Aaron T. Beck, and Amy Wenzel declare they have no conflict of interest.
Informed Consent
All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. The study was approved by the university’s IRB. Prior to study participation, informed consent was obtained from all patients for inclusion in the study.
Animal Rights
No animal studies were carried out by the authors for this article.
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Adler, A., Jager-Hyman, S., Green, K.L. et al. Initial Psychometric Properties of the Attentional Fixation on Suicide Experiences Questionnaire. Cogn Ther Res 39, 492–498 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-015-9683-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-015-9683-7