title: Examining the psychometric properties of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Brief Form in justice-involved samples.
abstract: Impulsivity is an important component of many forms of psychopathology. Though widely used as an index of this construct, the 30-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) has demonstrated questionable psychometric properties in several research reports. An 8-item shortened version has recently been proposed, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Brief (BIS-Brief) form, which was designed to overcome some of the limitations of the longer scale. In this report, we examine the internal structure and theoretically relevant external correlates of this new short form in large archival samples of individuals involved in the criminal justice system (prison inmates, substance abusers in mandatory treatment, and forensic inpatients). Confirmatory factor analysis of the BIS-Brief indicates adequate fit following a relatively minor modification. Correlations between the BIS-Brief and an array of criterion measures-other self-report scales, interview-based measures, and behavioral outcomes-are consistent with predictions and show relatively little or no decrement in predictive validity when compared with the 30-item BIS-11. Our results suggest that the BIS-Brief is a promising brief measure of impulsivity that evinces good psychometric properties across a range of offender samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University.
authors.forename: Sherecce
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Edens
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University.
authors.forename: Shannon Toney
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rulseh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University.
authors.forename: M Brent
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Donnellan
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, University of South Florida.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis.
authors.forename: Barbara E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University.
authors.forename: Kevin S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Douglas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results