(PS9-37) The Development and Validation of the Psychological Pre-Death Scale

Sunday, November 23, 2025

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST

Location: Elite Hall A, Level 1

Author(s)

MC

Marie Campione, B.A. (she/her/hers)

Graduate Student
Florida State University
Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Co-Author(s)

TJ

Thomas E. Joiner, Ph.D.

The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL, United States

Abstract Text: Suicide remains a leading cause of death worldwide, yet existing models focus on proximal risk factors rather than the subjective experience of suicidality. Recent theoretical advancements propose psychological pre-death – a liminal state in which individuals feel they have already ceased to exist meaningfully – as a critical precursor to suicide (Joiner et al., in press). This state is defined by the death of agency, extreme psychological pain, and a profound sense of deadness, yet no validated measure exists to assess it systematically. This study aims to develop and validate the Psychological Pre-Death Scale (PPDS) through a two-phase psychometric evaluation. In Study 1, 300 participants completed the PPDS along with measures of convergent and divergent validity. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) assessed the scale’s structure, internal consistency was evaluated, and Item Response Theory (IRT) was applied to examine item properties. In Study 2 (anticipated N = 300), IRT and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) will further validate the PPDS by assessing model fit, discrimination, and measurement invariance. Findings from Study 1 support a one-factor solution with strong internal consistency (α = 0.94). IRT demonstrated strong item discrimination parameters, indicating that the PPDS items effectively differentiate individuals along the latent trait continuum. Item difficulty parameters suggested that the scale captures a broad range of psychological pre-death experiences. The PPDS showed strong positive correlations with psychache (r = .792, p < .001) and moderate correlations with suicidal intent (r = .465, p < .001), supporting construct validity. Study 1 findings suggest that the PPDS is a unidimensional, psychometrically sound measure of psychological pre-death. Study 2 will further establish its validity using IRT and DIF. Full results will be presented at the conference.