Psychometric evaluation of the Farsi 8-item Orbach Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale and Psychic Pain Scale in suicidal adolescents

Suicide is a global health concern, frequently cited as a leading cause of death in youth and adolescents. Psychological pain (PsyPn) has been identified as a driver of suicide, although empirical studies of PsyPn (particularly in youth) have been limited. The development of measures of PP, particularly those that can be applied across diverse demographic groups, is essential, given the relevance of both age and cultural context to understanding near-term drivers of risk. Methods: The current study examined the validity and reliability of new Farsi translations of two measures of PsyPn: the 8-item Orbach & Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale (OMMP-8; Casanova et al., 2021) and the Psychic Pain Scale (PPS; Lewis et al., 2021). Participants included 623 (53.9% female and male 46.1% aged 13 to 18 years) suicidal and 110 (72.7% female and male 27.3% aged 13 to 18 years) non-suicidal adolescents from the Lorestan province of Iran, who completed the two measures of interest as well as measures of other suicide-related clinical phenomena. Results: The factor structures of both the OMMP-8 and PPS identified in earlier studies were replicated, and both measures showed strong internal reliability and convergent validity with measures of hopelessness, depression, anxiety, and severity of suicidal ideation. Optimal cut-off scores for predicting suicidal versus non-suicidal group membership were identified, though these represented a slight departure from those found in earlier studies, suggesting differences in the level of severity and persistence of PsyPn in predicting suicide risk in Iranian adolescents compared to individuals from other age and cultural groups. Conclusions: This study suggests that the Farsi translations of the OMMP-8 and PPS may be considered valid and reliable instruments for use in Iranian adolescent populations, thereby expanding the current understanding of experiences of PsyPn in youth across cultural contexts, while also highlighting areas in need of future study.