The Risk-Taking and Self-Harm Inventory for Adolescents (RTSHIA): Development and Psychometric Evaluation

2 This study reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of the Risk-Taking (RT) and Self-Harm (SH) Inventory for Adolescents (RTSHIA), a self-report measure designed to assess adolescent RT and SH in community and clinical settings. 651 young people from secondary schools in England ranging in age from 11.6 up to 18.7 years and 71 young people referred to mental health services for SH behavior in London between the ages of 11.9 and 17.5 completed the RTSHIA along with standardized measures of adolescent psychopathology. Two factors emerged from the principal axis factoring and RT and SH were further validated by a confirmatory factor analysis as related, but different constructs, rather than elements of a single continuum. Inter-item and test-retest reliability were high for both components (Cronbach's alpha = .85 and .93, r tt = .90 and .87) and considerable evidence emerged in support of the measure's convergent, concurrent and divergent validity. The findings are discussed with regard to potential utility of the RTSHIA for research and clinical purposes with adolescents. 3 Risk-taking (RT) and self-harm (SH) occur across the lifespan, but many types of RT and SH typically appear for the first time in adolescence (Boyer, 2006; Yates, 2004). There is no consensus about what constitutes RT and SH. Most conceptualizations of RT, including the one adopted in this study, refer to 'engagement in behaviors that are associated with some probability of undesirable results' (Boyer, 2006, p. 291). These behaviors are closely related to personality traits such as sensation seeking (Zuckerman, 1979) and to poor judgment due to adolescents' psychosocial immaturity (Steinberg, 2007). SH covers a wide spectrum of behaviors, furthermore the intentionality, destructiveness and conventionality of thoughts and acts of SH sit on a broad continuum (Turp, 2003). One of the most debated issues is whether SH is an expression of suicidality or a means of coping (Simeon & Favazza, 2001). Consequently, some researchers use definitions that exclude behaviors with conscious suicidal intent, and use terms such as 'non-suicidal self-injury' (NSSI) to describe intentional, direct damage to one's body tissue without suicidal intent (Pattison & Kahan, 1983). Other researchers use more inclusive definitions that encompass a wide range of behaviors, including both suicidal acts and different types of NSSI such as cutting or burning, and consider it important to assess for suicidal behaviors in studies on SH 2001). This is because suicidal intent may not always be reliably measured …