Clinical Neuropsychiatry (2013) 10, 2, 79-85

Translation and adaptation of Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS)

to the Brazilian population
Cristina Yumi Sediyama Nogueira, Alysson Massote Carvalho, Gustavo Gauer, Naraiana Tavares, Rodrigo de
Miranda Monteiro Santos, Giuliano Ginani, Thiago S. Rivero, Paulo Henrique Paiva de Moraes, Stephen P. H.
Whiteside, Leandro Fernandes Malloy-Diniz

Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to translate and adapt the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale for use within the distinct
cultures of the various regions of Brazil.
Method: First, the original English version of the UPPS was translated into Portuguese by two bilingual researchers.
After this, the version was adapted by one researcher and this translation was sent to six bilingual researchers to evaluate
whether the terms of the scale were appropriate for the cultural aspects of each region.
Results: the resulting items were translated back into English by a professional translator and sent to the original
scales author to ensure that the original item content had been retained. The final translation of the UPPS and the original
English version were administered to a sample of 52 bilingual subjects in order to investigate the semantic and idiomatic
equivalence of the translated version through correlation analysis.
Conclusions: Spearman correlations between the original items and the translated items were all significant, p <0.001,
with correlations ranging from moderate to strong. These results suggest that the Brazilian Portuguese translation of the
scale accurately replicated the original scale.
Key words: impulsivity, psychometrics, scale, personality

Declaration of interest: none

Cristina Yumi Sediyama Nogueira, Alysson Massote Carvalho, Gustavo Gauer, Naraiana Tavares4, Rodrigo de Miranda
Monteiro Santos5, Giuliano Ginani6, Thiago S. Rivero6, Paulo Henrique Paiva de Moraes7, Stephen P. H. Whiteside8, Leandro
Fernandes Malloy-Diniz9
Master student in Molecular Medicine Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Email: yumicristina@gmail.com
Director of the Institute Presbyterian Gammon, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Email: alysson@reitoria.ufmg.br
Associate Professor, Department of Developmental Psychology and Personality at the Institute of Psychology, Federal
University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFGRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Email: gusgau@gmail.com
4
Professor, Federal University of Gois, doctoral student in neuroscience and behavior at the Federal University of Minas
Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Email: tavares.naraiana@gmail.com
5
Researcher at the Research and Studies in Football (NUPEF), Federal University of Viosa (UFV), Viosa, Minas Gerais,
Brazil. Email: mirandamonteiro@globo.com
6
Doctoral student in Psychobiology, Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), So Paulo, Brazil. Email: giuliano.ginani@
gmail.com; thiagorivero@gmail.com
7
Fellow of the Industrial and Technological Development CNPq - National Institute of Science and Technology of Molecular
Medicine (INCT-MM) - Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Email: paulohpmoraes@
gmail.com
8
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA email: Whiteside.Stephen@mayo.edu
9
Professor, Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais. Coordinator of
Neuropsychological Research Laboratory National Institute of Science and Technology of Molecular Medicine (INCT-MM).
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Email: malloy.diniz@gmail.com

Corresponding author
Cristina Yumi Nogueira Sediyama
Instituto Nacional de Cincia e Tecnologia de Medicina Molecular Av. Professor Alfredo Balena, 190 Bairro
Santa Efignia Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais Brasil CEP: 30.130-100

Submitted November 2012, Accepted April 2013

2013 Giovanni Fioriti Editore s.r.l.

79

Cristina Yumi Sediyama Nogueira et al.

Introduction
Impulsivity is a complex phenotype that is include
in most models of personality (Costa & McCrae 1992,
Zuckerman 1994, Patton, Stanford & Barrat 1995,
Whiteside & Lynam 2001) that has been defined in
many different ways. For instance, impulsivity has
been broadly defined as quick unplanned action that
leads to thoughtless behaviors and a tendency to act
with a lower level of planning compared to individuals
of similar intellectual level (Moeller et al. 2001). On the
other hand Dickman (1990) has differentiated between
functional impulsivity (i.e. the performance of fast
and efficient responses in situations that require quick
decisions), and dysfunctional impulsivity (a tendency
to act with less care than most people of equal capacity.
The term impulsivity is contained in the criteria of many
psychiatric diagnoses within the DSM-IV. For instance,
impulsivity may be found in disorders such as attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance abuse, major
depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating
disorders and bipolar affective disorder (Grant &
Potenza 2006, Mally-Diniz et al. 2007, Perroud 2011,
Tziortzis 2011). In addition, impulsivity is involved
in many personality disorders and some researches
consider it an independent subgroup (Costa & McCrae
1992, Zuckerman 1994, Patton, Stanford & Barrat
1995, Whiteside & Lynam 2001).
Multiple scales are used in the literature for
assessment of impulsivity, and several phenomena that
are classified together with the term impulsivity, but
that lead to different forms of impulsive behavior (i.e.
Dickman 1990, Zuckerman 1994, Patton, Stanford &
Barrat 1995). This lack of a common definition about
the construct of impulsivity may be one of the factors
that often refrains progress toward the understanding
of impulsive behavior (Eveden 1999). Accordingly,
to assess the nature of impulsivity dimensions and
add clarity to the field, Whiteside & Lynam (2001)
conducted a factor analysis with the most used measures
of impulsivity found in literature and the Five-Factor
Model of Personality (McCrae & Costa, 1990) was used
to understand the concept of impulsivity. The resulting
measure, the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale, consists
of found factors labeled: a) urgency (tendency to
experience strong impulses, frequently under conditions
of negative affect), b) lack of premeditation (tendency
not to think about the consequences of an act before
engaging in it); c) lack of perseverance (lack of ability
of an individual to stay focused on a task that can
be boring or difficult); d) sensation seeking (composed
by the tendency to search for activities that are exciting,
as well as an openness to try new experiences that can
be dangerous or not).
The potential for the UPPS to standardize the
assessment of impulsivity is supported by its successful
translation into many different languages including for
example, French and German (Van Liden et al. 2006,
Schmidt 2008). In addition, impulsivity is a construct
that is present in the major part of neuropsychiatric
disorders, that, for example, is related with suicidal
and addiction behavior, disadvantage making decision
that is part of compulsive symptoms, so, have this
questionnaire available in portuguese, means to have
a standardized instrument to measure in an objective
way, the impulsivity (Clark, Robbins, Ersche, &
Sahakian 2006; Malloy-Diniz et al 2009; Perroud,
Baud, Mouthon, Courtet, & Malafosse 2011).
However, there are few instruments to access
impulsivity in Brazilian population (i.e. Malloy-Diniz

80

2010). In this way, the translation and adaptation

of UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale to the Brazilian
population represents an instrument to guide the
studies of impulsivity and clinical of psychiatry in this
country. In addition, there is evidence to UPPS and
their four factors was valuable tool for access some
neuropsychiatry disorders, such as compulsive buying
behavior, pathological gambling and alcohol abuse
(Fischer & Smith 2008, Billieux et al 2008). Thus,
the aim of the present study was to adapt the UPPS
Impulsive Behavior Scale for the Portuguese version in
Brazil.

Method
The adaptation and validation of the scale UPPS
was approved by the Ethics Committee of Universidade
Federal de Minas Gerais.

Translation
The translation method of the UPPS impulsive
behavior scale was based on Article adaptation and
translation of the Portuguese version of the BIS11 (Malloy-Diniz et al 2010). First, the original
English version of the UPPS was translated by two
native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese who, made
independent translations. These procedures where
intended to minimization errors of translations and
diverging interpretations of terms, reducing potential
biases. After that, the scale was unified and reviewed in
a version by a researcher for the scale was sent a group
of six experts in the area from five different states and
regions in Brazil (Minas Gerais, So Paulo, Rio Grande
do Sul, Gois, Rio Grande do Norte, Rondnia). This
group of researchers was instructed to avoid included
items in the Brazilian version of the scale that presented
any regional bias. Some items have been changed to
better match the Brazilian language. However, no
difference between the cultural regions was found.
After the experts suggestions were incorporated the
items were back-translated into English by a native U.
S. translator fluent both in Portuguese and in English.
The author of the original instrument then compared the
original version with the back-translation, and changes
were made to maintain the semantic equivalence of the
two versions.

Scale analysis
To determine whether the Brazilian Portuguese
version performed similarly to the original version,
both scales were administered to a bilingual sample.

Participants
The original version and the Brazilian Portuguese
version were administered to a sample of 52 Brazilian
participants. This sample was composed of participants
who had International English Certificate of Proficiency.
The participants had a mean age of 27.95 years (SD
= 7.85), and 36 were female. The English version
was first applied, and after a period of 7 days the
Portuguese version was completed in order to decrease
the likelihood that the participants remembered the
previous items and their answers.

Clinical Neuropsychiatry (2013) 10, 2

Translation and adaptation of Impulsive Behavior Scale to the Brazilian population

Table 1. Procedures for translation and adaptation of Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS)

1
2
3

Original Version

Translated version Back translation

Final Version

I have a reserved and

cautious attitude toward
life
I have trouble controlling
my impulses

Eu tenho uma atitude

reservada e cautelosa
com relao vida
Eu tenho problemas
controlando meus
impulsos
Eu geralmente busco
experincias e sensaes
novas e excitantes.
Eu geralmente gosto de
ver as coisas finalizadas

I have a very reserved and

cautious attitude towards life

Eu tenho uma atitude reservada

e cautelosa em relao vida

I have problems controlling

my impulses

Eu tenho problemas para

controlar meus impulsos

I generally seek new and

exciting experiences and
sensations
I generally like to see
things through to the end

I usually search for new and

exciting experiences and
sensations.
4
I usually like to see
everything finalized and
complete
5 My thinking is usually
Meu pensamento ,
My mindset is usually
careful and purposeful
normalmente cauteloso e cautious and objective
premeditado
6 I have trouble resisting
Eu tenho dificuldade em I have problems resisting my
my cravings (for food,
resistir aos meus desejos desires (for food, cigarettes,
cigarettes, etc.)
(por comida, cigarros,
etc.)
etc.)
7 I'll try anything once
Eu experimentarei
I am willing to try everything
qualquer coisa uma vez
at least once
8 I tend to give up easily
Eu tendo a desistir
I have a tendency for giving
facilmente
up easily
9 I am not one of those
Eu no sou daquelas
I am not one of those persons
people who blurt out
pessoas que falam coisas that speak without thinking
things without thinking
sem pensar
first
10 I often get involved in
Eu frequentemente me
I am frequently involved in
things I later wish I could envolvo com coisas de
activities from which I would
get out of
que, mais tarde, gostaria like to quit, after a while
de sair fora
11 I like sports and games in Eu gosto de esportes
I enjoy sports and games
in which you can quickly
which you have to choose e jogos nos quais
choose your next play
voc precisa escolher
your next move very
sua prxima jogada
quickly
rapidamente
12 Unfinished tasks really
Tarefas inacabadas
Unfinished tasks really bother
bother me
realmente me aborrecem me
13 I like to stop and think
Eu gosto de parar e
I like to stop and think about
things over before I do
pensar sobre as coisas
things before actually doing
them
them
antes de faz-las
14 When I feel bad, I will
Quando me sinto mal, no When Im feeling down, I
often do things I later
intuito de me fazer sentir usually do things which I
regret later, in an effort to
regret in order to make
bem imediatamente,
quickly make me feel better
frequentemente fao
myself feel better now
again
coisas das quais me
arrependo mais tarde
15 I would enjoy water
Eu gostaria de praticar
I would like to try water
skiing
esqui aqutico
skiing
16 Once I get going on
Quando comeo a fazer Once I begin an activity, I
something I hate to stop algo detesto interromper hate being interrupted
17 I don't like to start a
I dont like starting an
Eu no gosto de iniciar
project until I know
um projeto enquanto no activity without knowing
souber exatamente como exactly how to perform it
exactly how to proceed
proced-lo
18 Sometimes when I feel
s vezes quando me sinto Sometimes, when Im feeling
bad, I cant seem to stop mal, no consigo parar de down, I cant stop doing
what I am doing even
fazer o que estou fazendo whatever it is that I am doing,
though it is making me
mesmo que esteja
even if it makes me feel
feel worse
fazendo me sentir pior
worse
19 I quite enjoy taking risks Eu realmente gosto de
I really enjoy taking risks
me arriscar
20 I concentrate easily
Eu me concentro com
I can easily focus on
facilidade
something

Clinical Neuropsychiatry (2013) 10, 2

Eu geralmente busco
experincias excitantes e
sensaes novas.
Eu geralmente gosto de ver as
coisas finalizadas
Minha maneira de pensar
normalmente cuidadosa e
voltada a um objetivo
Eu tenho dificuldade em resistir
aos meus desejos (por comida,
cigarros, etc.)
Eu quero experimentar de tudo
pelo menos uma vez
Eu tenho a tendncia de desistir
facilmente
Eu no sou daquelas pessoas que
falam coisas sem pensar
Eu frequentemente me envolvo
em coisas das quais, mais tarde,
gostaria de escapar
Eu gosto de esportes e jogos nos
quais voc precisa escolher sua
prxima jogada rapidamente
Tarefas inacabadas realmente me
aborrecem
Eu gosto de parar e pensar sobre
as coisas antes de faz-las
Quando me sinto mal, no
intuito de me fazer sentir bem
rapidamente, normalmente fao
coisas das quais me arrependo
mais tarde
Eu gostaria de surfar
Quando comeo a fazer algo,
detesto parar.
Eu no gosto de iniciar um
projeto at que eu saiba
exatamente como realiz-lo
s vezes quando me sinto mal,
no consigo parar de fazer o que
estou fazendo, mesmo que isto
esteja me fazendo sentir pior
Eu realmente gosto de me
arriscar
Eu me concentro com facilidade

81

Cristina Yumi Sediyama Nogueira et al.

Table 1. Continued
21 I would enjoy parachute
jumping
22 I finish what I start

Eu gostaria de saltar de
I would like to try
paraquedas
parachuting
Eu termino o que comeo I finish what I start

Eu gostaria de saltar de praquedas

Eu termino o que comeo

23 I tend to value and follow Eu tenho tendncia a

a rational, "sensible"
valorizar e a seguir uma
approach to things
abordagem racional e
sensata das coisas
24 When I am upset I often Quando estou aborrecido
act without thinking
frequentemente ajo sem
pensar
25 I welcome new and
Eu sou receptivo a
exciting experiences and sensaes novas e
sensations, even if they
excitantes mesmo
are a little frightening and que sejam um pouco
unconventional
amedrontadoras e no
convencionais
26 I am able to pace myself Sou capaz de ajustar meu
so as to get things done
ritmo de forma a concluir
on time
as coisas em tempo

I have a tendency of
following a rational and
reasonable perspective
towards everything
When Im upset, I frequently
act without thinking

Eu tenho a tendncia de
valorizar e seguir uma viso
racional e sensata das coisas

I am open to new sensations

and exciting experiences,
even if they are somewhat
scary and unconventional

Eu sou receptivo a novas

sensaes e excitantes
experincias mesmo que sejam
um pouco assustadoras e no
convencionais

27 I usually make up my
mind through careful
reasoning
28 When I feel rejected, I
will often say things that
I later regret

I usually make my decisions

after carefully contemplating
them
When Im feeling rejected,
I usually say things which I
regret later

Eu normalmente tomo
minhas decises aps pensar
cuidadosamente
Quando eu me sinto rejeitado, eu
frequentemente digo coisas das
quais eu me arrependo depois

I would like to learn how to

fly an airplane
I always finsh my tasks

Eu gostaria de aprender a pilotar

avies
Eu sou uma pessoa que sempre
termina as tarefas

I am a cautious person

Eu sou uma pessoa cautelosa

I have a very hard time not

acting based on my feelings

difcil para eu deixar de agir

baseado em meus sentimentos

Eu normalmente tomo
minhas decises aps
pensar cuidadosamente
Quando eu me
sinto rejeitado, eu
frequentemente direi
coisas das quais eu me
arrependerei depois
29 I would like to learn to
Eu gostaria de aprender a
fly an airplane
pilotar avies
30 I am a person who always Eu sou uma pessoa que
gets the job done
sempre termina minhas
tarefas
31 I am a cautious person
Sou uma pessoa
cautelosa
32 It is hard for me to resist difcil para eu resistir
acting on my feelings
em agir baseado em meus
sentimentos
33 I sometimes like doing
Eu s vezes gosto de
fazer coisas um pouco
things that are a bit
frightening
amedrontadoras
34 I almost always finish
Eu quase sempre termino
projects that I start
os projetos que comeo
35 Before I get into a new
Antes de me envolver
situation I like to find out em uma nova situao
gosto de descobrir o que
what to expect from it
esperar dela
36 I often make matters
Eu frequentemente torno
worse because I act
as coisas piores porque
without thinking when I ajo sem pensar quando
estou chateado
am upset
37 I would enjoy the
Eu gostaria de desfrutar
a sensao de descer
sensation of skiing
velozmente de esqui uma
very fast down a high
mountain slope
montanha ngreme
38 Sometimes there are so
s vezes existem tantas
many little things to be
pequenas coisas para
done that I just ignore
serem feitas que eu
them all
simplesmente ignoro
todas elas
39 I usually think carefully Eu frequentemente penso
before doing anything
cautelosamente antes de
fazer qualquer coisa

82

Quando estou chateado

frequentemente ajo sem pensar

I am able to adjust my rhythm Eu sou capaz de controlar-me,

in order to complete tasks in a de modo a fazer as coisas em
timely manner
tempo

Sometimes I like to do things Eu s vezes gosto de fazer coisas

that are somewhat scary
um pouco amedrontadoras
I almost always finish the
tasks I start.
Before getting involved in a
new situation, I like to know
what to expect from it

Eu quase sempre termino as

atividades que comeo
Antes de me envolver em uma
nova situao gosto de saber o
que esperar dela.

When Im upset, I usually

make problems worse by
acting without thinking

Eu frequentemente torno os
problemas piores porque ajo sem
pensar quando estou chateado

I would like to enjoy the

Eu gostaria da sensao de saltar
de asa delta
sensation of speed while
skiing down a steep mountain
Sometimes there are so many s vezes existem tantas
pequenas coisas para serem
small tasks to be done that I
simply ignore all of them
feitas que eu simplesmente
ignoro todas elas
I usually think cautiously
before doing anything

Eu costumo pensar
cuidadosamente antes de fazer
qualquer coisa

Clinical Neuropsychiatry (2013) 10, 2

Translation and adaptation of Impulsive Behavior Scale to the Brazilian population

Table 1. Continued
40 Before making up my
mind, I consider all
the advantages and
disadvantages
41 In the heat of an argument,
I will often say things that
I later regret

Antes de decidir, eu
I consider all pros and cons
considero todas as
before making a decision
vantagens e desvantagens

42 I would like to go scuba

diving

Id like to try scuba-diving.

43 I always keep my feelings

under control
44 I would enjoy fast driving
45 Sometimes I do impulsive
things that I later regret

No calor de uma discusso,

frequentemente
digo
coisas das quais me
arrependo mais tarde
Eu gostaria de fazer
mergulho
com
equipamento
Eu sempre mantenho
meus sentimentos sob
controle
Eu gostaria de dirigir
velozmente
Algumas vezes fao
coisas impulsivas das
quais me arrependo mais
tarde

Antes de decidir, eu considero

todas as vantagens e
desvantagens.

In the heat of an argument, No calor de uma discusso, eu s

I usually say things which I vezes digo coisas das quais me
regret later
arrependo mais tarde.
Eu gostaria de mergulhar com
equipamento

I always keep my own feelings Eu sempre mantenho

under control
sentimentos sob controle
I would like to drive in high
speed
Sometimes I do hasty and
impulsive things, which I
regret later

Instrument
The UPPS is a self-report scale which consists of 45
items that address the four personality factors associated
with impulsive behavior in a likert-type format ranging
from 0 to 4, which represent: (1) strongly agree, (2)
partially agree; (3) partially disagree and (4) strongly
disagree. Besides the total scores of impulsivity, the
UPPS also provides the subscale scores of each subtype
of impulsivity: lack of premeditation (items 1, 5, 9, 13,
17, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39 , 40) and urgency (items: 2 *, 6 *,
10 *, 14 *, 18 *, 24 *, 28 *, 32 *, 36 *, 41 *, 43, 45 *),
sensation seeking (items: 3 * 7 * 11 * 15 * 19 * 21 * 25
* 29 * 33 * 37 * 42 * 44 *), and lack of perseverance
(items: 4, 8 *, 12, 16, 20, 22, 26, 30, 34, 38 *)1.

Data analysis
The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to
determine the normal distribution of data, and the
result demonstrate p <0.01, which showed that the
distributions of UPPS scores in each group do not tend
to be normal. Accordingly this, to judge the relevance of
the Portuguese version compared to the original version
of the scale we calculated the Spearman correlation
coefficients between the original and the translated
answers. Significant correlations were defined by p <
0.001. Quantitative analyses were performed using
SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version
17.0.
To compare the performance between Portuguese
and English versions, was conducted the Wilcoxon test
comparing the four factors of the UPPS Behavior Scale,
being adopted the significance level (p value) of 0.05.

Results
The results were obtained through the translation
of the scale, the back translation, and after that, the
final version of the scale was based on suggestions

meus

Eu gostaria de dirigir velozmente

s vezes fao coisas impulsivas
das quais me arrependo mais
tarde

given by the referees, as well as the appropriateness

of items following the literal semantic and idiomatic
equivalence for to verify the correspondence and
appropriateness of the translated items compared to
the original.
Concerning the idiomatic adequacy, the author of
the original scale was consulted and authorized the
transformation of the item 15 I would enjoy water
skiing/ Eu gostaria de praticar esqui aqutico into
Eu gostaria de surfar (I would enjoy surfing) and
the item 37 I would enjoy the sensation of skiing
very fast down a high mountain slope/Eu gostaria de
desfrutar a sensao de descer velozmente de esqui em
uma montanha ngreme to Eu gostaria da sensao
de saltar de asa delta (I would enjoy the sensation
of paragliding). The author even suggested that the
scale items 5, 8, 16, 17 and 26 were altered so that
the meanings of the items were kept in correspondence
with the original items of the scale. Items 2, 3, 7,10, 14,
23, 24, 25, 28, 30, 32, 34, 35, 37, 39, 42, 45, suffered
minor modifications suggested so the equivalence
would be maintained. The phases for the development
of the translation and adaptation of escapes can be
analyzed from table 1.
The last phase of this study consisted of applying the
original version and the translated version in a sample
of 52 bilingual subjects so that the correspondence was
examined between the versions. The 45 items of the
scale showed a level of significance p <0.001. Fourteen
items (2, 6, 8, 10, 11, 16, 18, 20, 25, 29, 30, 33, 42, 44)
showed strong correlation index (0.70 = <rho <0.95),
the other items showed moderate correlations (0.50 =
<rho <0.69). These results are shown in table 2.
In according to perform a paired analysis of
the results of the factors, a Wilcoxon test was made
to compare the four factors (lack of premeditation,
urgency, sensation seeking and lack of perseverance).
The four factors lack of premeditation (Z = -1.56,
p=0.117); urgency (Z = -1.161, p = 0.246); sensation
seeking (Z = -1.098, p = 0.272) and lack of perseverance
(Z = -1.502, p = 0.133), did not differ between the
versions in Portuguese and English.

1
Items marked with sign * get reverse score for the
calculation of partial and total scores (4 = 1, 3 = 2, 2 = 1, 1 = 4).

Clinical Neuropsychiatry (2013) 10, 2

83

Cristina Yumi Sediyama Nogueira et al.

Table 2. Spearman`s correlation between original

version of Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS) and
Portuguese version
Affirmative
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45

Correlation
0.672
0.776
0.543
0.619
0.557
0.845
0.631
0.756
0.601
0.724
0.892
0.586
0.687
0.597
0.562
0.729
0.551
0.753
0.629
0.849
0.948
0.753
0.487
0.649
0.778
0.569
0.537
0.637
0.900
0.733
0.667
0.611
0.775
0.511
0.670
0.551
0.666
0.687
0.500
0.659
0.609
0.831
0.586
0.784
0.687

p-value
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001
< 0.001

Discussion
The Brazilian adaptation of the UPPS reflects
the increasing use of the scale for assessment of
impulsivity. Although there is still a lack of research
addressing the most consistent neurobiological
correlation with the facets of impulsivity in the model
84

proposed by Whiteside & Lynam (2001), the UPPS

has been widely used to investigate the presence of
impulsivity in several types of psychiatric disorders,
such as: Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity
Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Eating
Disorders, Substance Abuse (Whiteside & Lynam 2003,
Claes, Vandereycken, Vertommen 2005, Tragesser &
Robinson 2009, Drew & Miller 2010).
The UPPS still seems promising as an attempt to
use a template from which derives the major models of
impulsivity and personality, such as the model proposed
by the Big Five according Costa e McCrae (1992)
clarifying the umbrella term which is impulsivity. In
this sense, the model presented by Whiteside & Lynam
(2001), proposes a subdivision of various subtypes of
impulsivity, transforming impulsivity into a concept
which makes possible a growing understanding of this
increasingly complex phenotype.
It should be noted that this study provides only a
translation and adaptation of the UPPS Impulsive
Behavior Scale, and the future steps will be to analyze
the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version
of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior, both exploratory
and confirmatory factor analyses of the responses.
However, some studies have reported the validity
of the model UPPS in other samples (Miller, Flory,
Lynam, & Leukefeld 2003, Whiteside, Lynam, Miller,
& Reynolds 2005). Accordingly, more research have
been conducted to investigate the psychometric aspects
of the scale, such as studies on the construct validity
and criterion of the scale, the factorial structure of the
scale, as well as performance analysis of a Brazilian
normative group with the composition of participants
from different regions of Brazil, and, at the end, it will
be conducted a comparison between control sample and
bipolar disorder sample. These studies, in conjunction,
now underway, will try to understand the gaps related
to clinical and research contexts, in reference to the
assessment of impulsivity in different psychiatric
disorders.

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