French translation and adaptation of the “safety planning intervention” for the prevention of suicide attempts: A four-step method

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified suicide prevention as a significant concern, warranting further investigation and intervention. It has been demonstrated that brief interventions and contact can be an effective means of preventing suicide. Among these interventions, the safety plan has been identified in the scientific literature as an effective method for the prevention of suicidal behaviour. The objective was to produce a translation/adaptation of the safety plan in French that ensures a high level of fidelity with the original instrument and adaptation to the French clinical and cultural context. The four-step translation/adaptation method employed was in accordance with the guidelines set forth by Sousa & Rojjanasrirat (2011). A multidisciplinary committee comprising experts in suicidology, people with lived experience and professional translators was involved in the study. The authors of the original version of the safety plan provided their consent and one of them collaborated in the translation and adaptation stages. In accordance with the recommendations, an initial translation of the safety plan into French was carried out, after which the content was compared and adapted. A back-translation was employed to ascertain the discrepancy between the original and translated versions, thereby determining whether the item should be validated or a new cycle of adaptation, back-translation, and comparison initiated. The translation and adaptation process resulted in a consensus on all items in the safety plan. This version, adapted into French as part of the PROTECT study, recommends that, in the specific context of emergencies, the last stage of the plan, which concerns reasons for living, should not be carried out. The translation of the safety plan provides healthcare professionals with a novel instrument for the prevention of suicidal behaviour. Although it requires time to learn how to use it, the translation ensures that it can be distributed widely, faithful to the original version.