Evidence of structure and internal consistency of the risk inventory suicidal adolescent (IRISA) in Uruguay population

Suicide rates have risen by 40 % over the last 15 years in Uruguay; 17 % of people who commit suicide in Uruguay are adolescents. Acknowledging the need for appropriate instruments to assess and manage suicidal risk among adolescents, this study evaluated some psychometric properties of the Adolescent Suicide Risk Inventory (IRISA, acronym in Spanish). The IRISA and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered to a sample of Uruguayan adolescent students of 447 individuals, aged 12 through 18 (M=15.06; SD=1.84). The confirmatory factorial analysis concurs with the reported scales of IRISA, exhibiting adequate reliability and acceptable inter-scale correlations. Findings suggest IRISA is a valid and reliable screening test for suicidal risk in Uruguayan student adolescents and its extensive use at primary care service seems promising.