Development and validation of suicide crisis scale for international students in South Korea

Abstract

Introduction: This study created and validated a scale to measure the level of suicide crisis among international students attending South Korean universities. Methods: Study 1 developed questions and constructed the components of the scale using an initial survey of 248 people and exploratory factor analysis. Study 2 validated the scale using a second survey of 340 participants and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The results showed that 21 items were confirmed in six factors, which include lack of social support, burdensomeness, maladaptation to Korean culture, academic maladjustment, suicidal thoughts, and suicide risk. Discussion: We verified the convergent validity, criterion validity, and reliability of the scale. The significance and implications of this study are presented, along with suggestions for future research.