INQ-15 cut-off scores for suicidal ideation screening of women with chronic, invisible illnesses.

In the interpersonal theory of suicide, perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB) are proximal triggers of suicidal ideation. Using the 15-item version of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ-15), suicidal ideation in psychiatric inpatients was predicted by the PB and TB scales, and cut-off scores were recommended. In this study, women (N = 942) who reported one or more chronic, invisible illnesses completed an online survey including the INQ-15 and the Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R). PB and TB correlated significantly with SBQ-R total scores (r = 0.575 and 0.437, respectively; p < 0.01). In a Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis, scores of 17 for PB and 37 for TB maximized the correct classification of high-risk and low-risk participants, with slightly higher classification accuracy for PB than TB (AUCs = 0.781 and 0.701, respectively). These results support the INQ-15 scales in screening for suicidal ideation among chronically ill women.

Predicting driving anger from trait aggression and self-control.

Undergraduates (N=115) completed the Propensity for Angry Driving Scale, Driving Anger Scale, and measures of trait aggression and self-control. Aggression and self-control correlated significantly with scores on the two scales, and Aggression subscale scores explained significant unique variance in both, but the predicated interaction of aggression and self-control was not significant. The Propensity for Angry Driving Scale is recommended to measure self-reported aggressive driving, and the Driving Anger Scale for assessment of driving-related anger.

Positive illusions: positively correlated with subjective well-being, negatively correlated with a measure of personal growth.

Psychologists have long debated the benefits and costs of self-deceptive enhancement or positive illusions. Accurate perception of reality is central to the definitions of mental health proposed by many personality and clinical psychologists, but Taylor and Brown have suggested that having positive illusions is associated with increased happiness and satisfaction with life. One explanation for the conflicting assertions is that mental health, broadly defined, includes both subjective well-being and personal growth, distinguishable factors which are differentially related to positive illusions. For this study, 81 college students completed measures of positive illusions (Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding Self-deceptive Positivity and How I See Myself Questionnaire), subjective well-being (Satisfaction With Life Scale and Existential Anxiety Scale), and moral reasoning (Defining Issues Test) as an index of personal growth. As predicted, positive illusion composite scores were positively correlated with scores on the subjective well-being composite (r=.40) but negatively correlated with Defining Issues Test scores (r=-.25). The quadratic relationship between these measures of positive illusion and subjective well-being composites was not significant, indicating no support for an "optimal margin of illusion."