A 30-item self-report instrument designed to assess impulsiveness.
Not a CDE--last searched 9/13/2023.
30
10-15 minutes
Adult
18 - 64
yearsTracy Tittelbach, B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Kayla Walton, B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Marcus Weathers Jr., B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Tim Tansey, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Kevin Fearn, M.S., Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
None found--last searched 9/13/2023.
Mixed Populations: (Patten et al., 1995; undergraduate students (n = 412, 68% female), substance abuse patients (n = 164, 33% female), general psychiatric patients (n = 84, 54% female), and male prison inmates (n = 73)
Mean and Standard Deviation for the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Total Score by subject group and sex
|
Subject group |
Male M (SD) |
Female M (SD) |
Total M (SD) |
|
Baylor undergraduates |
64.94d (10.19) |
63.32b,c (10.16) |
63.82b,c (10.17) |
|
Substance-abuse patients |
69.00d (10.21) |
69.78a (10.51) |
69.26a (10.28) |
|
General psychiatric patients |
69.74d (11.54) |
72.78a (13.43) |
71.37a (12.61) |
|
Prison inmates |
76.30a,b,c (11.86) |
|
|
aDiffers significantly from Baylor Undergraduates (p < 0.05).
bDiffers significantly from Substance Abuse Patients (p < 0.05).
cDiffers significantly from General Psychiatry Patients (p < 0.05).
dDiffers significantly from Prison Inmates (p < 0.05).
Undergraduate students: (Patton et al., 1995; n = 412; 68% female)
Patients with Substance Use Disorder: (Patton et al., 1995; N = 164; 33% female)
General psychiatric patients: (Patton et al., 1995; n = 84; 54% female; 49% mood disorders, 23% adjustment disorders, 14% personality disorders, 8% thought disorders, 2% anxiety disorders, 4% disorders not otherwise specified)
Male prison inmates: (Patton et al., 1995; n = 73)
General Population: (Stanford et al., 2009; n = 1,577; male = 393; mean age = 21.6 (5.3) years; mean years of education = 13.2 (1.5), range = 6-23)
General Population: (Stanford et al., 2009)
Mean and Standard Deviation for first- and second-order sub-scales of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale by sex
|
Scale |
Male M (SD) |
Female M (SD) |
Total M (SD) |
|
Total score |
62.8 (2.2) |
62.1 (10.6) |
62.3 (10.3) |
|
Second-order subscales |
|||
|
Attentional |
16.8 (3.9) |
16.7 (4.1) |
16.7 (4.1) |
|
Motor |
22.4 (3.4) |
21.8 (4.1) |
22.0 (4.0) |
|
Non-Planning |
23.6 (4.5) |
23.6 (5.0) |
23.6 (4.9) |
|
First-order subscales |
|||
|
Attention |
10.3 (2.8) |
10.4 (2.9) |
10.4 (2.9) |
|
Motor |
15.2 (2.8) |
15.0 (3.4) |
15.0 (3.2) |
|
Self-control |
12.4 (3.1) |
12.0 (3.3) |
12.1 (3.3) |
|
Cognitive complexity |
11.3 (2.4) |
11.6 (2.6) |
11.5 (2.6) |
|
Perseverance |
7.2 (1.8) |
6.8 (1.7)* |
6.9 (1.8) |
|
Cognitive instability |
6.4 (1.8) |
6.3 (1.9) |
6.4 (1.9) |
*Differs significantly from males, p < 0.01
Healthy Adults: (Reise et al., 2013; n = 691; male = 53%; Hispanic = 43%; Education: high school = 36% (2% had less), bachelor’s degree = 52% (8% had more); data collected as part of the UCLA Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics)
Mean and Standard Deviation for first- and second-order sub-scales of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale
|
Scale |
Mean (SD) |
|
Second-order subscales |
|
|
Attentional |
14.4 (3.5) |
|
Motor |
21.5 (4.0) |
|
Non-Planning |
23.3 (4.6) |
|
First-Order Sub-scales |
|
|
Attention |
9.2 (2.4) |
|
Motor impulsiveness |
13.8 (3.1) |
|
Self-control |
11.2 (2.5) |
|
Cognitive complexity |
12.0 (3.0) |
|
Perseverance |
7.6 (1.9) |
|
Cognitive instability |
5.3 (1.7) |
General Population: (Malloy-Diniz et al., 2015; n = 3,053 adults; mean age (SD) = 31.71 (11.85); mean total score: 61.92 (10.29); Brazilian sample)
General Population: (Stanford et al., 2009; n = 153; male = 33)
General Population: (Patton et al., 1995; n = 412; undergraduate students; 68% female)
Convergent Validity:
Persons in correctional and residential drug treatment facilities: (Ruiz et al., 2010; n = 1,583; 16.9% female; all participants were over 21 years of age)
General population: (Fossati et al., 2001; n = 763; undergraduate students; 64.2% female; 18.5% from Northern Italy, 49.7% from Central Italy, 27.3% from Southern Italy, 3.6% from the Islands (Sicily and Sardinia), 0.9% from areas not otherwise specified; mean age (SD) = 22.96 (2.63) years; Italian translation)
Fossati, A., Di Ceglie, A., Acquarini, E., & Barratt, E. S. (2001). Psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale‐11 (BIS‐11) in nonclinical subjects. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(6), 815-828.
Malloy-Diniz, L. F., Paula, J. J. D., Vasconcelos, A. G., Almondes, K. M. D., Pessoa, R., Faria, L., ... & Corrêa, H. (2015). Normative data of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11 (BIS-11) for Brazilian adults. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 37(3), 245-248.
Patton, J. H., Stanford, M. S., & Barratt, E. S. (1995). Factor structure of the Barratt Impulsivity Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51, 768-774.
Reise, S. P., Moore, T. M., Sabb, F. W., Brown, A. K., & London, E. D. (2013). The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale – 11: Reassessment of its structure in a community sample. Psychological Assessment, 25(2), 631-642.
Ruiz, M. A., Skeem, J. L., Poythress, N. G., Douglas, K. S., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2010). Structure and correlates of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) in offenders: Implications for psychopathy and externalizing pathology. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 9(3), 237-244.
Stanford, M. S., Mathias, C. W., Dougherty, D. M., Lake, S. L., Anderson, N. E., & Patton, J. H. (2009). Fifty years of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale: An update and review. Personality and individual differences, 47(5), 385-395.
We have reviewed more than 500 instruments for use with a number of diagnoses including stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury among several others.