Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale

This paper reports an examination of the factor structure of Orbach's Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST) utilizing confirmatory factor analytic techniques. Participants were 215 undergraduate students ranging in age from 18 to 20 who completed the MAST, the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, the Suicide Ideation Questionnaire, and a self-harmful behavior scale. Support was found for the original factor structure, reliability, and validity of the MAST. A correlated model fit the data significantly better than an uncorrelated model. The results of this study indicate that the MAST is a valid and reliable measure appropriate for use with college-aged individuals for research purposes. Because the correlated model fit the data better than the uncorrelated, we suggest that future studies should attempt to replicate this finding, which would lead to a reexamination of the theory which underlies the MAST.