Validation of the Paykel Suicide Scale and the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale in Spanish Women during the Perinatal Period

Introduction. No specific instruments are available to detect the risk of suicide in women during the perinatal period. Suicide in perinatal women is little studied despite being one of the main causes of maternal mortality. Its prevalence has increased by 100% in the United States in a decade. Moreover, it has consequences for the mother and the newborn. Objective. To validate the Paykel Suicide Scale and the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale in Spanish women during the perinatal period. Materials and Methods. Cross-sectional study with Spanish women who were pregnant or who had given birth less than 18 months ago. Information was collected on sociodemographic variables, obstetric variables, and the newborn. A questionnaire that included both suicide scales and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EDPS) was used. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA), convergent and criterion validation, as well as internal consistency analysis, were performed. Results. In total, 237 women participated. The EFA determined that in the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale 4 components explained 54.8% of the variance, while in the Paykel Scale, a single component explained 53.0% of the variance. In the convergent validity, the risk of suicide or suicidal ideation was related to the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale and the Paykel Suicide Scale, respectively, with the variables: perception of low social support, risk of intimate partner violence, level of anxiety, history of mental pathology, and having experienced a stressful event in the last year, among others (p  < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale scores was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82–0.93), and for the Paykel Scale, it was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85–0.95). The value of Cronbach’s alpha (α) was placed for the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale at 0.806 and for the Paykel Suicide Scale at 0.766. Conclusion. Both scales presented adequate psychometric characteristics to be used as a screening instrument for suicide risk in Spanish women in the perinatal period.