Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian 8-Item Orbach Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale and Psychic Pain Scale in Suicidal Adolescents

Background 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 demographic groups with regards to age and cultural context, is essential. Methods The current study examined the validity and reliability of the Persian version of two measures of PsyPn: the 8-item Orbach & Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale (OMMP; Orbach & Mikulincer, 2003) and the Psychic Pain Scale (PPS; Lewis et al., 2021). Participants included 623 suicidal and 110 non-suicidal adolescents from Lorestan province of Iran, who completed the two measures of interest as well as measures of other suicide-related clinical phenomena. Results Results indicated that three factors—Experience of Irreversibility, Emotional Flooding, and Narcissistic Wounds—explained 78.27% of the variance in the OMMP-8, while two factors representing experiences of Affective Deluge and Loss of Control explained 69.63% of the variance in the PPS. Both measures showed strong internal reliability and convergent validity with measures of hopelessness, depression, anxiety, and severity of suicidal ideation. Conclusions This study suggests that these Persian translations of the OMMP-8 and PPS may be considered valid and reliable instruments for use in Iranian adolescent populations, opening opportunities for expanding current understanding of experiences of PsyPn in youth across cultural contexts.