Not all risks are equal: the risk taking inventory for high-risk sports

• Published in: Journal of sport & exercise psychology 2013-10, Vol.35 (5), p.479-492
• Main Authors: Woodman, Tim, Barlow, Matt, Bandura, Comille, Hill, Miles, Kupciw, Dominika, Macgregor, Alexandra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Attitudes; Conscience; Discriminant analysis; Extraversion (Psychology); Factor Analysis; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Humans; Impulsive Behavior - psychology; Inhibition; Male; Personality Inventory - standards; Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data; Personality traits; Predictive Validity; Psychometrics - methods; Psychometrics - standards; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; Reproducibility of Results; Risk assessment; Risk-Taking; Self Concept; Sports; Sports - psychology; Sports - statistics & numerical data; Validation studies; Validity
• ISSN: 0895-2779; 1543-2904
• DOI: 10.1123/jsep.35.5.479

Although high-risk sport participants are typically considered a homogenous risk-taking population, attitudes to risk within the high-risk domain can vary considerably. As no validated measure allows researchers to assess risk taking within this domain, we validated the Risk Taking Inventory (RTI) for high-risk sport across four studies. The RTI comprises seven items across two factors: deliberate risk taking and precautionary behaviors. In Study 1 (n = 341), the inventory was refined and tested via a confirmatory factor analysis used in an exploratory fashion. The subsequent three studies confirmed the RTI's good model-data fit via three further separate confirmatory factor analyses. In Study 2 (n = 518) and in Study 3 (n = 290), concurrent validity was also confirmed via associations with other related traits (sensation seeking, behavioral activation, behavioral inhibition, impulsivity, self-esteem, extraversion, and conscientiousness). In Study 4 (n = 365), predictive validity was confirmed via associations with mean accidents and mean close calls in the high-risk domain. Finally, in Study 4, the self-report version of the inventory was significantly associated with an informant version of the inventory. The measure will allow researchers and practitioners to investigate risk taking as a variable that is conceptually distinct from participation in a high-risk sport.