Preliminary adaptation of the Osman-Linehan "Reasons for living" inventory (adolescent version)

Given the deteriorating situation with suicides among children and teenagers Russian teachers and psychologists are in need of modern tools for assessing suicidal risk. One of such tools which is well-known abroad is the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents (RFL-A) by A.Osman and M.Linehan. The paper presents various versions of the Reasons for Living inventory, results of its adaptation and a comparative analysis of findings from psychometric research in Russia and the USA. The text and the psy chometric properties of the Russian adaptation of the inventory are included. The sample for the psychometric study was 143 teenagers from Perm Krai. Preliminary adaptation of the adolescent version of the Reasons for Living Inventory by A.Osman and M.Linehan has demonstrated that the factor-analytic structure of the inventory is stable across national mentalities regarding suicide, peculiarities of social and economic development, time periods (1998 and 2017) and mode of administration (paper-and-pencil vs online). Even at the preliminary stage of adaptation the Russian version has the same factor structure as the American original. The highest internal consistency and the highest factor weight was shown by the scale «Family Union». Unlike with the U.S. sample, this factor is the leading one in terms of its significance. In the Russian sample online testing in social networks appeared to be the most credible and most closely resembled the findings from the American study. Internal consistency of scales in the Russian adaptation of RFL-A exceeds the necessary thresholds and on the whole corresponds to data from the American study. Thus, even the preliminary stage of Russian adaptation of RFL-A by A.Osman and M.Linehan yielded psychometric characteristics that are sufficient both for scientific use and screening of suicidal risk.