Citation

Reid RC, Cyders MA, Moghaddam JF, Fong TW. Addict. Behav. 2013; 39(11): 1640-1645.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, United States. Electronic address: rreid@mednet.ucla.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.11.008

PMID

24314714

Abstract

Although the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS; Patton, Stanford, & Barratt, 1995) is a widely-used self-report measure of impulsivity, there have been numerous questions about the invariance of the factor structure across clinical populations (Haden & Shiva, 2008, 2009; Ireland & Archer, 2008). The goal of this article is to examine the factor structure of the BIS among a sample consisting of three populations exhibiting addictive behaviors and impulsivity: pathological gamblers, hypersexual patients, and individuals seeking treatment for methamphetamine dependence to determine if modification to the existing factors might improve the psychometric properties of the BIS. The current study found that the factor structure of the BIS does not replicate in this sample and instead produces a 12-item three-factor solution consisting of motor-impulsiveness (5 items), non-planning impulsiveness (3 items), and immediacy impulsiveness (4 items). The clinical utility of the BIS in this population is questionable. The authors suggest future studies to investigate comparisons with this modified version of the BIS and other impulsivity scales such as the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale in clinical populations when assessing disposition toward rash action.

Language: en