Validation of the Urdu translation of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation

This study aimed at developing an Urdu version of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSI) for use with Pakistani adolescents and young adults. For this purpose, the English BSI was translated into Urdu and tested for psychometric properties. The analyses were carried out with data from a sample of 904 adolescents and young adults from eight major cities of Pakistan. The Cronbach's alpha of .75 showed that the Urdu version of the BSI has reasonable internal consistency. Principal Component Analysis gave one meaningful component that indicated Active Suicidal Desire. This preliminary validation study of the Urdu version of the BSI showed that it is an acceptable measure to be used with Pakistani adolescents and young adults. The need for further research on suicide in Pakistan is discussed.