Impulsivity in Portuguese and Spanish college students: an invariance study of the brief UPPS impulsive behavior scales

This study aims to assess the measurement invariance of the brief UPPS impulsive behavior scales-short version in Portuguese and Spanish college students. The sample was composed of 351 Portuguese and 716 Spanish students with ages ranging between 18 and 26 years. The four-factor structure — urgency, premeditation, perseverance, and sensation seeking — fit the data, although two of the 20 items had to be discarded. Results also indicated adequate reliability for each of the four factors in each sample. The invariance testing results supported partial invariance. No mean differences between both samples were found in urgency, premeditation, and sensation seeking, but the Portuguese sample had higher levels of perseverance. These findings indicate that although this version is reliable, and the four-factor structure is supported in both samples, cross-cultural comparisons should be interpreted with caution due to the lack of invariance of some parameters. Implications for further studies are discussed.