Psychometric Validation of the Korean Preparedness to Help Scale for Assessing Adolescents' Readiness to Support Peers at Risk of Suicide.

PURPOSE: Adolescents are often the first to recognize emotional distress and suicidal warning signs among their peers, making their readiness to provide appropriate support an essential component of school-based suicide prevention. However, no validated Korean version of the Preparedness to Help Scale (PHS) is currently available for adolescents. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the PHS into Korean and evaluate its validity and reliability among Korean adolescents. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional psychometric validation study was conducted with 434 middle and high school students in South Korea. Construct validity was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Convergent validity was evaluated using standardized factor loadings, average variance extracted (AVE), and composite reliability (CR). Criterion-related validity was examined through concurrent validity and known-groups validity. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω. RESULTS: CFA yielded fit indices consistent with the hypothesized unidimensional structure, although these indices should be interpreted cautiously given the model's two degrees of freedom (χ2(2)=3.40, p=0.18; χ2/df=1.70; CFI=0.998; TLI=0.995; NFI =0.996; SRMR=0.012; RMSEA=0.040, 90% CI [0.000,0.111]). Standardized factor loadings ranged from.660 to.876, demonstrating satisfactory convergent validity (AVE=0.633; CR=0.872). Preparedness scores showed a small positive correlation with preventive suicide attitudes (r=0.221, p<0.001). Adolescents in the upper quartile of suicide attitude scores reported significantly higher preparedness than those in the lower quartile (t(196.19)=5.70, p<0.001; Hedges' g=0.76), supporting known-groups validity. The Korean version of the PHS demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.868; McDonald's ω=0.870). CONCLUSION: The Korean PHS demonstrated promising initial psychometric properties for assessing adolescents' preparedness to support peers at risk of suicide. It may provide a brief and feasible measure for school-based suicide prevention and peer gatekeeper program evaluation, although further validation in diverse samples and against behavioral outcomes is warranted.