The Risk-Taking and Self-Harm Inventory for Adolescents: Validation of the Italian Version (RTSHIA-I)

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to establish the factorial validity and reliability of the Risk-Taking and Self-Harm Inventory for Adolescents (RTSHIA), proposed by Vrouva and colleagues in 2010, in an Italian sample. The RTSHIA measures both Risk-Taking and Self-Harm behavior in adolescents. We administered the scale to a total of 1292 Italian adolescents from 9th to 12th grade; to verify the validity of the scale, we also assessed emotion regulation and psychopathological traits. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (N = 638) and the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (N = 660) confirmed the original two-factor structure of the RTSHIA (Risk-Taking and Self-Harm). The only differences in the Italian version of the RTSHIA (RTSHIA-I) were that one item was moved from the original Risk-Taking factor to the Italian Self-Harm factor, and another item that was not included in the original RTSHIA is now part of the Risk-Taking factor in the Italian version. The reliability of the RTSHIA-I is also confirmed, and both factors correlate with emotion regulation and externalizing/internalizing traits. Our results suggest that the RTSHIA-I is a useful tool for assessing Risk-Taking and Self-Harm behaviors in Italian adolescents, and the correlational patterns indicate that these behaviors may be related to difficulties in mentalization skills.

Daring and Distress: Insights on Adolescent Risk Taking and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation from a Network Analysis Perspective

“…In fact, the zero-order correlations highlighted in that study could have been redundant and failed to account for the influence of intercorrelated disturbances, potentially leading to misleading interpretations in the presence of substantial overlap of psychological symptoms. Similarly, Valle and colleagues [ 22 ] identified significant correlations between SH and four out of six emotion regulation difficulties. Yet again, the zero-order correlations impeded the assessment of which difficulty uniquely explained an increased inclination toward self-harm [ 19 , 20 , 22 ].…”

“…Similarly, Valle and colleagues [ 22 ] identified significant correlations between SH and four out of six emotion regulation difficulties. Yet again, the zero-order correlations impeded the assessment of which difficulty uniquely explained an increased inclination toward self-harm [ 19 , 20 , 22 ].…”

“…Using the RTSHIA, a research tool that assesses adolescent RT and SH in community and clinical settings, we aimed to investigate the unique associations between risk-related personality tendencies, difficulties in emotion regulation, attachment, and maladaptive psychological functioning in a sample of typically developing adolescents. Previous research suggested that RT and SH were associated with different sets of individual difference factors [ 19 , 20 , 22 ]. However, these findings were generally supported using correlation analyses, which focus on examining the relationship between pairs of variables, ignoring the interdependencies among multiple variables defining the nomological network of RT and SH.…”

“…The RTSHIA [ 22 ] is a 27-item self-report scale. Because two factors emerged during questionnaire development, separate RT and SH scores were developed and validated for use in community and clinical settings.…”

“…The RTSHIA has recently undergone validation for use with Italian adolescents [ 22 ]. The findings of the study indicated that the factor structure of the scale aligned well with the English and Portuguese versions, suggesting high cross-cultural consistency of separate RT and SH factors.…”