Appendix 1.

BRISC items that contribute to negativity bias, emotional resilience, and social skills scores. The subset of items that define the mini version of the BRISC is indicated by bold text. Reverse scored items indicated by (–)^*

Negativity bias

I was often stressed, with my nerves on edge

I felt I have no value as a person

I often felt annoyed at the way people treated me

I lost hope and wanted to give up when something went wrong

I felt out of control of my life and needed others to help me

I was reliable and could be counted on to keep my word (–)

I found it hard to wind down

I was jumpy and agitated

I found it difficult to relax

I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with things

I was rather touchy

I tended to over-react to situations

I felt that I had nothing to look forward to

I felt that life was meaningless

I felt down-hearted and blue

I felt I wasn't worth anything

I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all

I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things

I felt I close to panic

I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself

Emotional resilience

I felt very satisfied with the way I look and act

I responded best to positive feedback about myself

When receiving negative comments about myself, I looked for positive things to counter balance those comments

I was often irritable and argued with people around me (–)

I was able to plan ahead to meet deadlines

I was proud of myself and some people might have thought I was putting myself first (–)

I was conscientious about everything I was asked to do

I was organized and could work toward a goal in a step by step way

I usually dithered around before I getting down to focusing on a task (–)

I worked hard, and always tried to achieve my goals

There were times when people couldn't rely on me as much as they should have be able to (–)

I usually tried to consider other people's needs and feelings

I was always successful at completing my tasks, even if I had more tasks than others

I was always disorganized and in a mess (–)

Social skills

I could sense the mood of a group and discuss unspoken feelings

I always tried to put myself into the place of those I was talking with

I got feedback that I am a sensitive and understanding person

I usually took the initiative and introduced myself to strangers

I got enormous satisfaction by getting people to like me

I tried to build my close relationships with people

I took part in social groups

People reacted to me as if I would do whatever it takes to get ahead (–1)

I enjoyed socializing and chatting to other people

I tried out exciting places and things to do

I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything (–)

^*These items have been trademarked as the “BRISC”, by Brain Resource, and are available as a web-delivered assessment for clinical and research uses.