Literacy of Suicide Scale in the Iranian Military Youth; The Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version

Aims: Suicide is a leading cause of death globally, necessitating its assessment through valid tools. Among these tools, the Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS), developed by Calear et al., has not yet been validated for Persian-speaking populations. Therefore, this study aimed to translate, evaluate, and validate the LOSS within a young military community. Instrument Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a methodological approach. The sample consisted of young military personnel who visited counseling and psychology clinics and were selected via convenience sampling. Initially, the original version of the scale was translated into Persian using the Forward-Backward method. To evaluate content validity, ten experts assessed the scale, calculating the content validity ratio (CVR) and the content validity index (CVI). Face validity was also assessed with a sample of 20 subjects from the study population. Reliability was tested through a test-retest procedure with a two-week interval and measurement of Cronbach’s alpha. Finally, the questionnaire was administered to 415 subjects to assess construct and convergent validity. Findings: The CVR, CVI, and face validity of all questions on the LOSS were at acceptable levels. The Cronbach’s alpha for the subscales ranged from 0.71 to 0.76, and for the total scale, it was 0.75. Additionally, all components of the LOSS showed a significant relationship with the total score of the questionnaire (r 0.2). Conclusion: The Persian version of the LOSS demonstrates acceptable validity and reliability for use among young military personnel.