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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

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Published on: March 17, 2019

Risky, Impulsive, and Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire (RISQ): A Validation Study.

Naomi Sadeh^1,2, Arielle Baskin-Sommers³

¹1 National Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.

|March 23, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A new questionnaire, the Risky, Impulsive, and Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire (RISQ), was developed to assess a wide range of risky behaviors, including their triggers and consequences. The RISQ shows strong validity and reliability for quantifying harmful actions across multiple domains.

Keywords:

aggression gambling illegal behavior impulsive eating reckless driving risky sex self-harm substance use

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Last Updated: Mar 23, 2026

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Behavioral Science
Clinical Psychology

Background:

Risky behaviors are linked to severe health consequences, including premature death, disability, and mental health issues.
Existing measures of risky behavior are limited, often focusing on single domains, neglecting affective triggers, and failing to assess consequences or cover broad developmental periods.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate a comprehensive questionnaire, the Risky, Impulsive, and Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire (RISQ), to address the limitations of existing measures.
The RISQ aims to broaden the assessment of risky behaviors by including affective triggers, consequences, and a wider range of behavioral domains.

Main Methods:

Development and evaluation of a new 38-item questionnaire, the RISQ.
Statistical analysis using a bifactor model to assess the questionnaire's structure.
Examination of internal consistency and construct validity indicators.

Main Results:

A bifactor model provided the best fit for the RISQ, with a general factor and eight domain-specific factors (drug use, aggression, self-harm, gambling, risky sexual behavior, impulsive eating, heavy alcohol use, reckless behavior).
The RISQ demonstrated strong indicators of internal consistency and construct validity.
The questionnaire effectively quantifies and qualifies risky behaviors, assessing severity, chronicity, and triggers.

Conclusions:

The RISQ is a validated, broad, and relatively brief measure for assessing a wide spectrum of risky, impulsive, and self-destructive behaviors.
The RISQ offers a more comprehensive approach to understanding the multifaceted nature of harmful behaviors and their contributing factors.