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Anti-Suicidal Motives Questionnaire3

Anti-Suicidal Motives Questionnaire Test

With 48 questions taking about 9 minutes, the Anti-Suicidal Motives Questionnaire Test examines motives and personal resources that may inhibit suicidal behavior. Your result highlights the relative importance of moral, social, family, survival, and fear-related factors, supporting structured self-reflection about protective influences and areas worth discussing.

Questions: 489 minutes

Anti-Suicidal Motives Questionnaire Test: situation and reply bubbles

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Moral BeliefsMB

Measures how strongly moral and ethical convictions act as protective reasons against suicidal actions.

example score4/6

4/6Moderate to highexample score

1 – 1.88Low

1.89 – 6Moderate to high

A score of 4 falls in the Moderate to high range, suggesting moral values are a meaningful protective resource for avoiding suicidal actions.

Social DisapprovalSD

Measures how strongly fear of social disapproval and concern about others' opinions act as a barrier to suicidal behavior.

example score3/6

3/6Moderateexample score

1 – 2.13Low

2.14 – 6Moderate

A score of 3 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting social disapproval is a meaningful but not exclusive factor influencing the person’s motivation to avoid suicide.

Fear of SuicideFoS

Measures the intensity of fear and anxiety about carrying out suicidal actions, which can function as a protective restraint.

example score3/6

3/6Moderate to high fearexample score

1 – 1.66Low fear

1.67 – 6Moderate to high fear

A score of 3 falls in the moderate to high fear range, suggesting a noticeable level of anxiety about acting on suicidal thoughts that may help inhibit self-harm behavior.

Care for ChildrenCfC

Assesses how strongly caring for and feeling responsible toward one’s children serves as a motive to avoid suicidal behavior.

example score3/6

3/6Lowexample score

1 – 4.18Low

4.19 – 6High

A score of 3 falls in the Low range, suggesting caring for children is a relatively less prominent protective motive for this person compared with other possible reasons to choose life.

Responsibility to FamilyRtF

Measures how strongly a sense of responsibility toward family members serves as a reason to stay alive despite suicidal thoughts.

example score3/6

3/6Low family responsibility motiveexample score

1 – 4.17Low family responsibility motive

4.18 – 6High family responsibility motive

A score of 3 falls in the low range, suggesting family obligations are a relatively weak or less salient factor in inhibiting suicidal behavior for this person.

SurvivalS

Measures the strength of a person’s internal belief in preserving life and overcoming difficulties.

example score3/6

3/6Lowexample score

1 – 4.4Low

4.41 – 6High

A score of 3 indicates a lower survival motive, suggesting fewer strongly endorsed beliefs about needing to endure challenges and stay alive as a protective reason.

Anti-Suicidal Motives SeverityASMS

Measures the overall strength of motivations and resources that discourage suicidal behavior.

example score3/6

3/6Lowexample score

1 – 3.06Low

3.07 – 6High

A score of 3 falls in the Low range, suggesting relatively weaker anti-suicidal motivations compared with typical reference levels.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Therapy and counseling clients

46%OF USERS

People in therapy who have had suicidal thoughts take it to clarify what helps them choose safety and life.

Clinicians screening risk

34%OF USERS

Psychologists, psychiatrists, and crisis workers use it to identify a patient’s protective motives and guide a support plan.

Teen support evaluations

20%OF USERS

Teens and those supporting them complete it to pinpoint values and relationships that reduce self-harm risk.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Moral ValuesMV

You?

Average2.3

Typical rangeTypical1.6 – 2.9

Possible1 – 6

Social DisapprovalSD

You?

Average4.7

Typical rangeTypical3.9 – 5.5

Possible1 – 6

Fear of Committing SuicideFoCS

You?

Average2.7

Typical rangeTypical1.7 – 3.6

Possible1 – 6

Caring for ChildrenCfC

You?

Average4

Typical rangeTypical3.3 – 4.8

Possible1 – 6

Responsibility to the FamilyRttF

You?

Average2.6

Typical rangeTypical1.6 – 3.5

Possible1 – 6

SurvivalS

You?

Average3.8

Typical rangeTypical3 – 4.6

Possible1 – 6

Intensity of anti-suicidal motivesIoam

You?

Average3.1

Typical rangeTypical2.3 – 3.8

Possible1 – 6

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Many people have thought about suicide at least once. You will be presented with a series of statements about reasons why people do not die by suicide. Please rate the extent to which each statement reflects your current beliefs. Use the full range of response options rather than selecting only middle or only extreme responses. Please respond as honestly as possible.

- Not at all important
- Very slightly important
- Slightly important
- Important
- Very important
- Extremely important
- Not at all important
- Very slightly important
- Slightly important
- Important
- Very important
- Extremely important
- Not at all important
- Very unimportant
- Unimportant
- Important
- Very important
- Extremely important

These are 3 of the 48 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Anti-Suicidal Motives Questionnaire Test - Description and methodology of the test

suicidal risk

vital motivation

People reflecting on what helps them continue living may use the Anti-Suicidal Motives Questionnaire Test as a structured self-reflection tool. An anti-suicidal motives questionnaire clarifies which personal, relational, moral, and emotional influences feel most important during severe distress. The result offers a profile of protective motives and possible areas for thoughtful discussion, rather than a verdict about character or worth.

What This Assessment Measures

Motives that may inhibit suicidal behavior are grouped into moral, social, family, fear-related, and survival themes. Higher scores indicate greater importance of the named motive. The anti-suicidal motives test presents seven catalogue scales:

Moral Beliefs (1-6) reflects moral inhibition: Low 1-1.88; Moderate to high 1.89-6.
Social Disapproval (1-6) reflects deterrence from social judgment: Low 1-2.13; Moderate 2.14-6.
Fear of Suicide (1-6) reflects fear as protection: Low fear 1-1.66; Moderate to high fear 1.67-6.
Care for Children (1-6) reflects parental responsibility: Low 1-4.18; High 4.19-6.
Responsibility to Family (1-6) reflects family obligation: Low family responsibility motive 1-4.17; High family responsibility motive 4.18-6.
Survival (1-6) reflects motivation to preserve life: Low 1-4.4; High 4.41-6.
Anti-Suicidal Motives Severity (1-6) reflects overall protective strength: Low 1-3.06; High 3.07-6.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Each statement asks how important a motive is, using a six-point ordered response format from not at all important to extremely important. Scores are reported across the catalogue dimensions. The questionnaire does not define a separate point contribution for each answer, so interpretation should follow the displayed scale scores rather than an invented conversion rule.

Conceptually, its structure aligns with the Reasons for Living Inventory (Linehan et al., 1983), which treats reasons for living as protective commitments. Chistopolskaya’s 2017 adaptation study and Zhuravleva’s 2018 study address related instruments and suicidal-behavior samples. Shneidman provides compatible context for suicidal thinking, but this online version is not thereby a standardized reproduction of one published instrument.

Interpretation of an anti-suicidal motives assessment considers the pattern and the global index: higher values mean a motive is rated as more important, not that wellbeing is stronger in every respect. The catalogue describes the global score as a mean compared with normative and clinical samples; its bands provide the displayed interpretation. Self-report may shift with current distress, self-awareness, and social desirability, so the profile needs context beyond a single score.

Author: Edwin S. Shneidman, Thomas E. Joiner

Literature:

Ksenia A. Chistopolskaya, Tatiana V. Zhuravleva, Sergey N. Enikolopov, and Evgeni L. Nikolaev. (2017). Adaptation of Diagnostic Instruments for Suicidal Aspects of Personality. Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics, 14(1), 61-87. 10.17323/1813-8918-2017-1-61-87
Tatyana V. Zhuravleva, Sergey N. Enikolopov, Nikolay V. Dvoryanchikov, and Yuriy A. Bubeev. (2018). Adaptation of Methods for Studying Suicidal Behavior in a Sample of People with Suicide Attempts. Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 7(3), 96-108. 10.17759/jmfp.2018070309
Marsha M. Linehan, Judith L. Goodstein, Stevan L. Nielsen, and John A. Chiles. (1983). Reasons for Staying Alive When You Are Thinking of Killing Yourself: The Reasons for Living Inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51(2), 276-286. 10.1037/0022-006X.51.2.276
Edwin S. Shneidman. (1996). The Suicidal Mind. Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oso/9780195103663.001.0001

Updated: 2025-10-02