Abstract

The Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale-Fearlessness About Death(ACSS-FAD) is a measure that assesses the absence of fear of death, which is a component of acquired capability for suicide in the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide. The aim of this study was to validate the Korean version of the ACSS-FAD with a sample of 450 elderly individuals. The study examined the reliability and validity of the ACSS-FAD by assessing its internal consistency and conducting confirmatory factor analysis to explore its factor structure in the elderly population. Furthermore, a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the measurement invariance of the ACSS-FAD across genders. Finally, convergent and discriminant validity were examined by correlating the ACSS-FAD with measures of fear of suicide, pain anxiety, physical concern, and depression. Based on the results, the ACSS-FAD demonstrated adequate internal consistency, and the confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure consistent with the original scale. Measurement invariance across genders was also confirmed, indicating that the scale measures the same construct in both male and female participants. For convergent validity, the ACSS-FAD showed significant correlations with fear of suicide, pain anxiety, and physical concern. However, for discriminant validity, it exhibited a significant but weak correlation with depression. Based on these findings, the significance and limitations of the study were discussed.