Psychometric Properties of the Chinese SUPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale: Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance Across Gender and Age

Scoping Review: Transdiagnostic Measurement of Impulsivity Domains in Youth Using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scales

OBJECTIVE

Impulsivity contributes to many clinically relevant behaviors impacting youth. A scoping review was conducted to characterize existing research using the Urgency, Premeditation (lack of), Perseverance (lack of), Sensation Seeking (UPPS) Impulsive Behavior Scales in youth populations, to review the psychometric and validity data of UPPS, and to summarize findings related to sex/gender and diagnostic populations of youth.

METHOD

PubMed, Embase, and PsycNET databases were searched from January 1, 2001 (original UPPS publication) through October 2, 2022, according to PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Articles were reviewed for inclusion/exclusion by 2 authors. Original research articles in English using any UPPS version or subscale in persons aged ≤21 years were included.

RESULTS

Inclusion criteria were met by 45 articles, with low bias and moderate-to-high quality. Most were cross-sectional studies; studies investigated diverse community and clinical samples. The UPPS demonstrated consistent factor structure, good reliability, and good external validity with other measures of impulsive behaviors and conditions associated with impaired impulse control. Some studies observed differences in UPPS domain scores between sex/gender groups or differential patterns in relationships between UPPS domains and clinical variables. UPPS subscale scores often differed in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorders, substance use, and excess weight/obesity compared with control youth. UPPS domains commonly had interactions with sex/gender, sociodemographic, and diagnosis-related variables.

CONCLUSION

The current literature suggests that the UPPS has utility in measuring distinct components of impulsivity in clinical and nonclinical populations of youth. Specificity in discriminating diagnostic groups and predicting risk currently remains uncertain. Further research is needed to integrate UPPS measures with experimental models and additional neurobiological methods and to assess longitudinal developmental trajectories.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Impulsivity contributes to many clinically relevant behaviors and mental health disorders that impact youth. The Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking (UPPS) Impulsive Behavior Scale has been increasingly used in research to measure deficits in impulse control. In this scoping review the authors examined 45 studies that used versions of the UPPS to measure different domains of impulsivity in youth aged 21 years and younger. The authors found evidence in the literature for the validity and reliability of the UPPS and its variants in measuring impulsivity in youth. Certain patterns of UPPS subscale scores corresponded with clinical behaviors and diagnoses including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, substance use, and excessive weight/obesity. Despite this, there remain gaps in the literature regarding the stability of UPPS measures over time and ability of the UPPS to predict clinical outcomes.

Evaluating the factor structure and measurement invariance of the 20-item short version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale across multiple countries, languages, and gender identities

The UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Model and the various psychometric instruments developed and validated based on this model are well established in clinical and research settings. However, evidence regarding the psychometric validity, reliability, and equivalence across multiple countries of residence, languages, or gender identities, including gender-diverse individuals, is lacking to date. Using data from the International Sex Survey (N = 82,243), confirmatory factor analyses and measurement invariance analyses were performed on the preestablished five-factor structure of the 20-item short version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale to examine whether (a) psychometric validity and reliability and (b) psychometric equivalence hold across 34 country-of-residence-related, 22 language-related, and three gender-identity-related groups. The results of the present study extend the latter psychometric instrument's well-established relevance to 26 countries, 13 languages, and three gender identities. Most notably, psychometric validity and reliability were evidenced across nine novel translations included in the present study (i.e., Croatian, English, German, Hebrew, Korean, Macedonian, Polish, Portuguese-Portugal, and Spanish-Latin American) and psychometric equivalence was evidenced across all three gender identities included in the present study (i.e., women, men, and gender-diverse individuals).

Measurement and Functional Equivalence of a Reduced Version of the UPPS Impulsivity Scale Among Hispanic, Non-Hispanic Black, and Non-Hispanic White Adolescents

The current study aimed to assess the measurement equivalence and functional equivalence of the UPPS (Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking) Impulsivity Scale among three ethnoracial adolescent samples in the U.S. seventh-grade students who self-identified as Hispanic (n = 472), non-Hispanic Black (n = 89), or non-Hispanic White (n = 90), and completed an English-language version of the Child version of the UPPS, which was shortened and modified to include positive urgency items. Through a series of confirmatory factor analyses, the UPPS demonstrated configural, metric, and partial threshold invariance. Fisher's r-to-z transformations were used to assess the functional equivalence of the UPPS against well-validated measures of self-regulation and mental health commonly associated with impulsivity. We found some group differences in the magnitude of associations. Yet, overall, this study provides evidence that the UPPS can be used to measure distinct factors of impulsivity among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White adolescents.

Turkish adaptation and validation of the Short-UPPS-P in adolescents and examination of different facets of impulsivity in adolescents with ADHD

The short form of the Impulsive Behavior scale (S-UPPS-P) is a widely used scale to measure multiple impulsive personality traits; although it has been translated into many languages, no Turkish translation has been studied to date. Our study had two aims. First, we tested the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the S-UPPS-P for adolescents. Second, we examined impulsive trait characteristics exhibited by adolescents with ADHD, compared to a community sample. We evaluated the psychometric properties of the Turkish S-UPPS-P scale in 384 adolescents aged 11-18 and tested correlations with ADHD symptoms by assessing 41 adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. Our results showed that with a few slight modifications the Turkish translation of the S-UPPS-P scale can validly assess impulsive trait characteristics for Turkish adolescents. The subscales of lack of premeditation, positive urgency, and negative urgency efficiently distinguished between adolescents with ADHD and control subjects. This is the first scale to evaluate the multidimensional nature of impulsivity in Turkish adolescents. This scale is capable of screening various facets of impulsivity in typically developing adolescents as well as those with ADHD, enabling us to enhance our understanding of possible risks for comorbid diseases in the latter group.

Psychometric Properties of the South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised for Adolescents in Chinese Adolescent Gamblers

Objectives: Adolescent gambling is a public health concern of increasing importance. The lack of comprehensive evaluations on adolescent gambling disorder (GD) assessment tools hinders the timely detection of Chinese adolescents with gambling problems. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA) and determine its optimal screening cutoff score among Chinese adolescent gamblers to address this gap.

Methods: We surveyed 1407 Chinese secondary school students aged 11–19 years in Macao, China, among which 258 past-year gamblers’ data was used for assessing SOGS-RA’s performance in detecting risk for adolescent GD.

Results: SOGS-RA displayed satisfactory reliability and validity for assessing probable GD among Chinese adolescent gamblers. Under the DSM-5 GD framework, we proposed ≥4 as SOGS-RA’s optimal cutoff score of screening for probable GD and further identified 5.8% of past-year gamblers prone to probable GD in the present study.

Conclusion: SOGS-RA can provide a reliable and valid assessment of adolescent’ GD risk in the Chinese context, facilitate early identification of probable GD cases, and alleviate the public health concern for Chinese adolescents.

Family Conflict and the Use of Conventional and Electronic Cigarettes in Adolescence: the Role of Impulsivity Traits

Adolescents’ use of tobacco is a worldwide problem due to the negative consequences on their physical and psychosocial development. One contextual variable related to tobacco use is family conflict. Previous research has suggested that the relationship between family conflict and tobacco use could be mediated by personality traits. The aim of this study is to examine the direct and indirect effects of family conflict on tobacco use (conventional and electronic cigarettes) through specific impulsivity constructs. The sample comprised 879 adolescents (56.4% male; M(SD)age = 14.25 (1.88) years). Multiple mediational analysis showed that there was no significant direct effect between family conflict and tobacco use; however, an indirect effect was found between family conflict and conventional cigarette use through sensation seeking and premeditation. With electronic cigarettes, a significant indirect effect was found via sensation seeking. These findings have implications in terms of prevention and treatment of tobacco use during adolescence.

Psychometric properties of the short UPPS-P scale in adolescents: Gender, age invariance, and validity among italian youth

Impulsivity is a multifaceted construct associated with poor planning skills, difficulty in maintaining attention, and behavioral disinhibition-especially in conditions of highly activated affective states. Impulsivity plays a prominent role in adolescents, in whom high levels of impulsivity expose them to a greater risk of exhibiting risky behaviors or developing pathological conditions. Currently, one of the most popular frameworks to explain and assess impulsivity is the UPPS-P, which distinguishes between five impulsivity components, and from which the UPPS-P Scale and its short form are derived. In light of the relatively low number of psychometric analyses of the scale in adolescents, this study aimed to verify the psychometric properties of the Short UPPS-P Scale among Italian adolescents. The participants were 647 adolescents (68% males, mean age = 16.9, SD = 1.1 years). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the five-factor model of the scale, which was found to be invariant across gender and age and to have had good internal consistency values. Gender and age differences were also investigated. Evidence for validity was provided by supporting relationships between specific UPPS dimensions, gambling frequency, problem gambling, and problematic use of social networks. Overall, the findings showed that the Short UPPS-P Scale is a promising instrument to assess the multidimensional construct of impulsivity in adolescents in both research and clinical practice.

Efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy on mood and quality of life for patients with COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

There is no study that has conducted a review or meta-analysis investigating a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention to patients with COVID19, with the aim of improving their psychological health. Therefore, in order to provide new evidence-based medical evidence for clinical treatment, we undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of CBT in relieving patients' psychological distress and improving quality of life during the COVID-19 epidemic.

METHODS

Seven electronic databases including Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang Data, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library will be searched in April 2021 by 2 independent reviewers. For search on PubMed, the following search terms will be used: "COVID-19, 2019 Coronavirus Disease, 2019-nCoV, cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, cognitive behavioral treatment." In order to achieve a consistency (at least 80%) of extracted items, the data extractors will extract data from a sample of eligible studies. The outcomes include any rating scale describing stress, mood, and quality of life. Review Manager software (v 5.4; Cochrane Collaboration) will be used for the meta-analysis. Two independent reviewers will assess the risk of bias of the included studies at study level. Any disagreements will be discussed and resolved in discussion with a third reviewer.

RESULTS

The results of our review will be reported strictly following the PRISMA criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

The review will add to the existing literature by showing compelling evidence and improved guidance in clinic settings.

OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER

10.17605/OSF.IO/DCRPJ.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval and patient consent are not required because this study is a literature-based study. This systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.