Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Research Articles

Impulsivity and aggression in patients with methamphetamine use disorder and opioid use disorder

ABSTRACT Objective The aim of this study was to compare impulsivity and aggression in patients with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). Methods Fifty patients diagnosed with MUD, fifty patients diagnosed with OUD, and fifty healthy controls were included in the study. All participants were administered a sociodemographic data form, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). Results BIS-11 mean scores were significantly higher in the MUD group than in the OUD group (p = 0.021), and than in the healthy controls (p < 0.001). BPAQ mean scores were significantly higher in the MUD group than in the OUD group (p < 0.001), an in the OUD group than in the healthy controls (p < 0.001). Regression analysis to identify factors predicting methamphetamine use revealed that low education level, high impulsivity, and high aggression levels were predictive of methamphetamine use. Regression analysis to identify factors predicting opioid use indicated that unemployment, low education level, and high aggression levels were predictive of opioid use. Conclusion Individuals with substance use disorder were more impulsive and aggressive compared to healthy controls. Patients with MUD were more impulsive and aggressive compared to patients with OUD. Specifically, impulsivity might be considered a significant risk factor for MUD.

Partial Dopamine D2/3 Agonists and Dual Disorders: A Retrospective-Cohort Study in a Real-World Clinical Setting on Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Cannabis Use Disorder.

Schizophrenia with substance use disorder is a complex clinical condition that may increase treatment resistance. Cannabis use disorder is frequently associated with psychosis and the causal link has still to be defined. Partial D2/3 agonists may ensure limbic dopamine release normalization while avoiding reduced frontocortical dopamine release, which would contribute to negative symptoms. We aimed to observe the clinical course of patients with schizophrenia comorbid with cannabis use disorder while being treated with oral or long-acting injectable D2/3 partial agonists. We observed 96 young adults with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder comorbid with cannabis use disorder during 18 months of treatment with aripiprazole long-acting injectable or oral aripiprazole or brexpiprazole. The assessment comprised Clinical Global Impressions-Severity, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and Visual Analog Scale for Craving. Included were 17 women and 79 men (mean age = 26.89 ± 4.74 years). The sample responded favorably to treatment as assessed by all clinical scales, save for the impulsiveness scale which showed no significant change. The four treatment samples responded well without differences, but employing a general linear model, long-acting injectable aripiprazole and brexpiprazole were better and similar on all clinical and craving scales compared to oral aripiprazole and to other antipsychotics. Long-acting injectable aripiprazole fared better than brexpiprazole on general psychopathology, negative symptoms, and craving, while the reverse was true for global severity. However, the sample size imbalance did not allow for drawing strong conclusions. We found no significant treatment resistance in our 96-patient sample. Partial D2/3 agonists may treat comorbid schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder and cannabis use disorder, improving the symptoms of both disorders and substance craving.

Emotion dysregulation and impulsivity as overlapping symptoms in adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder: severity profiles and associations with childhood traumatization and personality functioning

BackgroundIncreased levels of emotion dysregulation and impulsive behavior are overlapping symptoms in adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (aADHD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), both symptom domains reflecting on inhibitory control, although from different angles. Our aims were to describe their differences in the above conditions, investigate their associations with childhood traumatization, and to explore the potential mediation of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity between childhood traumas and personality functioning.MethodsYoung adults between 18 and 36 years diagnosed with aADHD (n = 100) and BPD (n = 63) were investigated with structured clinical interviews, while age-matched healthy controls (n = 100) were screened for psychiatric disorders. Patients with aADHD-BPD comorbidity were excluded from further analyses. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Level of Personality Functioning Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form were administered to investigate trait measures and childhood traumatization, respectively. Behavioral impulsivity and delay aversion were assessed using selected tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, and a computerized decision-making paradigm based on the Rogers decision-making task, respectively.ResultsSignificantly higher levels of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity were present both in the aADHD and BPD groups, however with different profiles. Waiting and stopping impulsivity was selectively higher among aADHD patients compared to healthy controls. The BPD group reported higher levels of emotion dysregulation in all domains, and demonstrated increased delay aversion among uncertain conditions in decision-making. Higher levels of childhood trauma were associated with emotion dysregulation, trait impulsivity, and delay aversion across groups. Emotion regulatory capacity played a significant mediating role between childhood traumatization and the level of personality functioning.ConclusionsInhibitory control profiles of the aADHD and BPD groups were divergent. Childhood traumatization was associated with lower levels of personality functioning in adulthood, independently of diagnosis, an effect mediated more by emotion dysregulation, rather than impulsivity. These findings have various clinical implications for the treatment of aADHD and BPD, including psychoeducation, pharmacological interventions, and psychotherapy targeting specific symptom domains.

Exploratory structural neuroimaging examination of impulsivity in severe alcohol use disorder: Persistent implication of the ventral striatum.

While Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is frequently associated with impulsivity, its structural brain substrates are still poorly defined. The triadic model of addiction postulates that impulsive behavior is regulated by an amygdalo-striatal impulsive subcomponent, a prefrontal and cerebellar reflective subcomponent, and an insular regulatory subcomponent. The objective of this study was thus to examine the relationships between self-evaluated impulsivity and structural brain abnormalities in patients with severe AUD (sAUD) using the triadic model as a theoretical framework. Twenty-two inpatients with sAUD and 17 Healthy Controls (HC) completed two impulsivity scales: the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and the Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS). They also underwent an anatomical MRI. The brain volumes of the regions described as involved in the three subcomponents of the triadic model were extracted. The two groups did not significantly differ on self-reported impulsivity measures. However, the volumes of the caudate nuclei, executive cerebellum and insula were smaller in sAUD than in HC. In the sAUD group there were significant positive correlations between certain impulsivity measures and gray matter volume of the nucleus accumbens. In sAUD, self-evaluated impulsivity specifically relates to the integrity of the ventral striatum that belongs to the impulsive subcomponent of the triadic neurocognitive model of addiction. It is not related to the integrity or deterioration of the brain regions that underlie the reflexive or regulatory sub-component. Although these results have methodological limitations, they are consistent with the impulsive/compulsive model of addiction and confirms the persistence of the relationship between impulsivity and ventral striatum in sAUD.

Negative Affect and Impulsivity in Adolescents with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Moderating and Mediating Roles of Perceived Social Support.

Negative affective states and impulsivity have been found to be closely associated with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), but how negative affect contributes to impulsivity in NSSI adolescents and the role of perceived social support remain unclear. In Study 1, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) was administered on 225 NSSI adolescents and 225healthy volunteers to determine the characteristics of impulsivity in the patients. In Study 2, 102 of the patients were randomly selected to further complete the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) to clarify the relationships between negative affect, perceived social support, and impulsivity in these patients. In Study 1, NSSI adolescents scored higher than volunteers on almost all factors of BIS-11 except for Cognitive Instability. In Study 2, Support from significant others mediated the association between SAS and BIS-11 Self-control. Moreover, Support from significant others and family moderated the prediction of SAS score on their BIS-11 Cognitive Complexity. Compared to healthy adolescents, NSSI individuals were more impulsive, while perceived support from family and significant others prevented the anxious NSSI adolescents from lower cognitive complexity. Therefore, more social support should be available to NSSI adolescents with high anxiety to reduce their risk of self-harm due to high impulsivity.

Exploring the Correlations Between Language Impairments, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, Neuropsychiatric Functions, and Seizure Timing in Children With Self-Limited Epilepsy With Centrotemporal Spikes.

Children with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes often face language impairments and central auditory processing difficulties. The correlations between these issues, seizure timing, and neuropsychiatric challenges are not fully understood. This study delves into the connections between language impairments and central auditory processing difficulties in cases with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, examining their links with seizure occurrence and neuropsychiatric function. Patients with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes were categorized based on seizure timing: group 1 experienced seizures postbedtime, and group 2 prewaking. Both, alongside controls, underwent the Turkish Expressive and Receptive Language Test (TIFALDI) for language skills, and the Frequency Pattern and Duration Pattern tests for central auditory processing difficulties. Neuropsychiatric assessments involved the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Conners Parent Rating Scale-Revised Short, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11. The study comprised 56 patients with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (ages 6-13) and 32 healthy controls. Both groups significantly lagged behind controls on the Frequency Pattern and Duration Pattern tests (P < .001). In the TIFALDI, the expressive language scores varied between group 1 and controls (P = .04) but not the receptive language scores or the test's expressive and receptive language results between group 2 and controls (P > .05). In the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, group 1 diverged from controls in behavioral and kind and helpful behavior scores (P = .016 and P = .012). Group 1's Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 values surpassed controls' (P = .038). Children with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes have a high central auditory processing difficulties prevalence, regardless of seizure timing. Those with postsleep seizures tend to confront expressive language difficulties, alongside issues in prosocial behavior and impulsivity.

Psychometric study of the Russian version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale

Craving is one of the central symptoms of alcohol use disorder. Currently, there is no single accepted definition, model, or standardized approach to assessing craving for alcohol use, but the phenomenon is extensively studied in the field of addiction research. The Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale was developed based on the hypothesis that both obsessive-compulsive disorder and alcohol use disorder have similar symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure as well as the convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity of the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale. 222 patients with Alcohol Use Disorder undergoing inpatient treatment (163 men (73,42%), average age 42,67±10,06 years old, average age of the onset of alcohol use disorder 32,19±8,57 years old) were recruited for the study. The following methods were used: clinical interview, Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale, Penn Alcohol Craving Scale, Motivation for Alcohol Consumption, and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. The results of the study confirmed two-factor structure of the scale; however, the goodness-of-fit indices slightly differed from acceptable cut-off values. The scale had acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity. Discriminant validity was moderate. The analysis of criterion validity revealed a negative correlation between the factor “Compulsions” and age of the first alcohol drink, start of the regular alcohol use, and age of the first inpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder. Participants with daily use had significantly higher scores on both factors compared to the participants with heavy drinking episodes.

Impulse control and its association with ejaculation time in men with premature ejaculation.

The relationship between impulse control and premature ejaculation (PE), the most common sexual dysfunction in men, is not yet well understood. To assess the association between impulse control issues and the severity of PE in men with a lifelong diagnosis of this condition. A cross-sectional observational study was designed to evaluate patients who presented to the clinic with complaints of PE between March 2023 and March 2024. The final study sample comprised 40 men with lifelong PE and 40 healthy control subjects. Impulse control was evaluated with the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11 (BIS-11), while depression and anxiety levels were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The severity of PE was assessed using the Arabic Index of PE (AIPE). The mean AIPE score was 15.13 ± 3.33 in the PE group and 32.05 ± 2.06 in the control group (P ˂ 0.001). Compared to the control group, the PE group had significantly higher UPSS Impulsive Behavior Scale scores in all subscales (P ˂ 0.001 for planning, urgency, and lack of perseverance; P =0. 001 for sensation seeking) and total scores (P ˂ 0.001). The BIS-11 scores were also significantly higher in the PE group compared to the control group for all subscales (P ˂ 0.001 for all). The patients in the PE group also had higher levels of anxiety and depression (P ˂ 0.001 for all). A clinician's quantitative assessment of ejaculation time and the severity of PE among men presenting to the clinic with complaints of PE may reveal accompanying comorbid conditions more effectively. The current study is a novel investigation that quantitatively evaluates PE in terms of intravaginal ejaculatory latency time and severity, aiming to identify comorbid conditions. As a limitation, the necessity for patients and their partners to measure the time to ejaculation limited the sample size, making it challenging to generalize the findings. Our findings suggest that impulse control plays a significant role in lifelong PE. It is important for clinicians to assess impulse control and consider therapeutic interventions for men presenting with PE complaints, particularly in those classified as severe.

Impact of Impulsivity, Frustration Intolerance and Violence on Media on Emotional Regulation of Married Menopausal Women

The present research was conducted to explore the impact of impulsivity, frustration intolerance and of violence on media on the emotional regulation of married women of Pakistan. The research tries to find out the link between impulsivity, frustration intolerance and violence expressed on media with emotional disturbance in women in menopausal age so that the significant causes of disturbance and emotional sufferings in women would be disclosed and their quality of life would be improved. Correlation design was used to explore the relationship among variables and purposive sample of 300 women were taken that were married and in menopausal age. The age of the women was 40 to 55 years old. Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (Barrat, 1994), Distress Tolerance Scale (Azhar &amp; Saleem, 2017), Content Based Media Violence Scale (Hamer et al., 2017) and Scale for the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation (Dan-Glauser &amp; Scherer, 2013) were provided to the participants along with demographics sheet. The result reported that impulsivity, frustration intolerance and role of violence on media have a significant positive correlation with emotional dysregulation of married women in menopausal phase. The study can be helpful to comprehend the causes of emotional disturbance or dysregulation in menopausal women. It would also create consciousness in people how media has an impact on married women and would give peep into the issues of married menopausal women. This study would also be very helpful for the clinical purpose especially to the psychologist to understand the role of impulsivity, intolerance to frustration and expression of violence on media while providing therapy or counselling to menopausal married women.

A study of impulsivity and adverse childhood experiences in a population health setting.

As complex mental health traits and life histories are often poorly captured in hospital systems, the utility of using the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) for assessing adult disease risks is unknown. Here, we use participants from the Healthy Nevada Project (HNP) to determine if two standard self-assessments could predict the incidence and onset of disease. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving adult participants who completed the Behavioral and Mental Health Self-Assessment (HDSA) between September 2018 and March 2024. Impulsivity levels were measured using the BIS-15, and retrospective self-reports of ACEs were collected through a standardized questionnaire. In total, 17,482 HNP participants completed the HDSA. Our findings indicate that ACEs were significantly associated with impulsivity. Disease associations with impulsivity and ACEs were evaluated using a phenome-wide association study, identifying 230 significant associations with impulsivity. Among these, 44 were related to mental health diagnoses, including major depressive disorder (MDD). Kaplan-Meier survival estimates characterized the differences in the lifetime predicted probability between high and low impulsivity for major depressive disorder and essential hypertension. This analysis showed that having both high ACEs and high impulsivity confer substantial risk of MDD diagnosis (hazard ratios 2.81, 2.17, respectively). Additionally, lifetime predicted probability of MDD was approximately 40% higher for high ACEs and high impulsivity compared to no ACEs and low impulsivity. Essential hypertension demonstrated similar trends, with an approximate 20% increase in predicted lifetime probability of diagnosis. These results demonstrate that high ACES and elevated impulsivity scores are associated with a range of negative health outcomes and a simple self-assessment of complex traits and life history may significantly impact clinical risk assessments.

Resting-state voxel-wise dynamic effective connectivity predicts risky decision-making in patients with bipolar disorder type I

Patients with Bipolar Disorder type I (BD-I) exhibit maladaptive risky decision-making, which is related to impulsivity, suicide attempts, and aggressive behavior. Currently, there is a lack of effective predictive methods for early intervention in risky behaviors for patients with BD-I. This study aimed to predict risky behavior in patients with BD-I using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). We included 48 patients with BD-I and 124 healthy controls (HC) and constructed voxel-wise functional connectivity (FC), dynamic FC (dFC), effective connectivity (EC), and dynamic EC (dEC) for each subject. The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) was employed to measure the risky decision-making of all participants. We applied connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) with five regression algorithms to predict risky behaviors as well as Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) scores. Results showed that the BD-I had significantly lower risky adjusted pump scores compared to HC. The dEC-based linear regression-CPM model exhibited significant predictive ability for the adjusted pump scores in BD-I, while no significant predictive power was observed in HC. Furthermore, this model successfully predicted non-planning impulsiveness, motor impulsiveness, and BIS total score, but failed for attentional impulsiveness in BD-I. These findings provide a foundation for future work in predicting risky behaviors of psychiatric patients by using voxel-wise dEC underlying resting state.

Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Body-focused Repetitive Behaviors in Turkish Medical Students

Background/Aims: Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin-picking, trichotillomania, nail-picking, nail-biting, lip-biting and skin-biting have adverse physical and psychological effects. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of BFRBs in a sample of Turkish medical students. Methods: An online survey was used to investigate the prevalence of six BFRBs —skin-picking, trichotillomania, nail-biting, nail-picking, lip-biting and skin-biting-- and psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, stress levels, impulsivity and difficulties in emotional regulation (DER) in a sample of 200 medical students. Skin Picking Scale-Revised (SPS-R), Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling Scale (MGH-HPS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale–Short Form and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale—Brief Form and specific questions for four BFRBs (nail-picking, nail-biting, lip biting and skin biting) were administered. Results: The prevalence of at least one BFRB disorder was 28.0% (n=56). The most common diagnoses were skin-picking (17.0%) and trichotillomania (10.5%), followed by skin-picking (9.0%), lip biting (8.5%), nail-picking (7%) and nail-biting (5.0%). The gender difference was found only in skin-picking disorders (females=22.9%; males=8.5%). Students with BFRB disorder (n=56) were found to have higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, impulsivity and DER. Students in 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade are more likely to have BFRB disorders than interns. DER was a partial mediating variable between impulsivity and the presence of BFRB disorder. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that BFRBs are common among medical students and that these behaviors are associated with psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, stress levels, impulsivity and difficulties in emotion regulation. Screening programs and intervention strategies for BFRBs in medical students should be developed, and it is recommended that psychological factors should be considered in these interventions, emotion regulation and stress management skills should be significantly improved, and comorbid depression and anxiety should be treated.

Subjective time dilation in abstinent patients with alcohol use disorder

ABSTRACT Introduction Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) may have distortions in time perception. This study investigated subjective time dilation (the tendency to perceive a time interval longer than it is) and its association with craving and impulsivity in AUD. Method Thirty abstinent male inpatients with AUD (age 29–60 years) and thirty sex-, age-, and education-matched healthy controls completed a temporal generalization task, which assessed the preference (point of subjective equality, PSE) and sensitivity of time perception in the second range. Craving for alcohol was assessed using the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire. Impulsivity was assessed using a delay discounting task and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests was used to measure executive function (flanker task, symbol digit modalities test, trail-making test-A/B), negative emotionality (Beck Depression Inventory-II, Self-rating Anxiety Scale), and incentive salience (monetary incentive delay task) following the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment (ANA) framework. Results AUD patients exhibited a smaller PSE than healthy controls, perceiving a time interval 8% longer than it was. AUD patients with a smaller PSE showed a greater craving for alcohol but not greater impulsivity. Exploratory factor analysis incorporating the PSE and ANA measures revealed four latent factors. The PSE loaded highly onto a factor reflecting time perception but not three other factors reflecting executive function, negative emotionality, and incentive salience. Conclusions AUD patients exhibit a pathological form of subjective time dilation, which is associated with a greater craving for alcohol. Time perception may be an independent functional dimension for understanding addictive behaviors in AUD.

Effects of decision making and impulsivity on the addictive features of non-suicidal self-injury behaviors in adolescents with depressive disorder

BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors pose a significant threat to the physical and psychological well-being of adolescents. Recent research suggests that persistent, uncontrollable and repetitive NSSI can be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction. The addictive feature of NSSI behavior can be assessed using Ottawa self-injury inventory (OSI), the higher addiction score indicates the more serious NSSI behavior. This study aims to explore the relationship of impulsivity and decision-making on the addictive features of NSSI in adolescents with depressive disorder, to explore the influencing factors of behavioral addictive features of NSSI and to predict the addictive features of NSSI.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design, a total of 126 adolescent outpatients and inpatients with a mean age of 15.49 years old (M = 15.49, SD = 1.56), male students (n = 28, 22.2%) and female students (n = 98, 77.8%) diagnosed with depressive disorders were recruited according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and clinical interviews were completed by two psychiatrists. NSSI addictive features according to the OSI’s addictive features items. The final group was categorized into three groups: depression without NSSI (n = 42), depression with NSSI without addictive features (n = 44), and depression with NSSI and addictive features (n = 40). The present study employed the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24), Chinese Revised Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), OSI, and the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Questionnaire (ANSSIQ). Cognitive decision-making abilities were assessed using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT).ResultsThe depression with NSSI addictive features group had significantly lower total net scores and net scores of block3, block4, and block5 in the IGT than the depression without NSSI group, whereas there was no statistically significant difference between the two in net scores of block1 and block2. Lower scores mean more unfavorable decisions and strategy adjustments. The addictive features of NSSI behaviors were significantly and positively correlated with the severity of NSSI behaviors, depression, and cognitive impulsiveness, and significantly and negatively correlated with the total net score of the IGT. The severity of NSSI behaviors, severity of depression, cognitive impulsiveness positively predicts the addictive features of NSSI behaviors, the total net score of the IGT negatively predicted the addictive features of NSSI behaviors.ConclusionAdolescents with depressive disorders with NSSI behavioral addictive features had higher severity of depression, exhibited higher cognitive impulsivity, and made more unfavorable decisions when making choices.

The relationship between four indicators of future time orientation, criminal thinking style, and illegal behaviors.

Individuals who commit criminal behaviors are often thought to prioritize short-term goals rather than long-term goals (i.e., a present vs. a future time orientation). Though previous theories of crime and empirical research support a relationship among future time orientation, criminal thinking, and illegal behaviors, there is disagreement in the literature about how to operationalize the multidimensional construct of future time orientation. The primary aim of this pre-registered survey study was to measure multiple components of future time orientation to better understand the relationship with criminality-related outcomes. Participants were 248 undergraduate college students. Survey materials included a measure of impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11), self-control (Brief Self-Control Scale), delay discounting (Monetary Choice Questionnaire), and Carstensen's Future Time Perspective Scale. Participants also completed two measures of criminal thinking style (the Texas Christian University Criminal Thinking Scale, the Criminogenic Cognitions Scale) and an illegal behaviors checklist. Bivariate results demonstrated a negative relationship between future time orientation (i.e., low impulsivity, high self-control, high future time perspective) and criminal thinking style. The relationship between delay discounting and criminal thinking was in the hypothesized direction but failed to reach statistical significance. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the measure of self-control had the most consistent and incrementally significant relationship with both criminal thinking style and illegal behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed along with study limitations and future directions.

Characterizing impulsivity in individuals with methamphetamine and methcathinone use disorders.

Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) are characterized by loss of control in drug use, such as increased impulsivity. Methamphetamine and methcathinone are psychostimulants, the use of which is accompanied by a high level of impulsivity. Whether individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) and methcathinone use disorder (MCUD) differ in different aspects of impulsivity is unclear. We investigated impulsivity traits and behaviors in individuals with MUD and MCUD. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS), and delay discounting task (DDT) were assessed in individuals with MUD and MCUD and in healthy controls (HCs); then, we performed network-based analysis and computational modeling to understand the potential differences among the three groups. MUD subjects scored higher than MCUD subjects in terms of motor impulsivity, nonplanning impulsivity, and total BIS scores. The network analysis revealed that there were no significant differences between MUD and MCUD subjects in any centrality indices. The discount rate of MUD and MCUD subjects was significantly greater than that of HCs, whereas there was no difference in the discount rate between the two addiction groups. These findings suggest that MUD and MCUD participants differ in impulsivity traits but not in impulsive behaviors, implying that impulsive traits and behaviors represent different aspects of impulsivity.

Fast & furious: Rejecting the hypothesis that secondary psychopathy improves reaction time-based concealed information detection.

Deception, a complex aspect of human behavior, is inherently difficult to detect directly. A valid alternative involves memory detection, particularly through methods such as the Reaction-Time based Concealed Information Test (RT-CIT). The RT-CIT assesses whether an individual possesses specific knowledge by presenting various probe (familiar) items amidst irrelevant (unfamiliar) items. The task-required "unfamiliar" response to probes may induce a response conflict. Resolving this conflict, by inhibiting the automatic "familiar" response, takes time and slows probe RTs-a phenomenon known as the RT-CIT effect. Notably, secondary psychopathy is characterized by disinhibition and impulsivity, traits which may hinder the ability to effectively manage experienced conflict. Therefore, we hypothesized that secondary psychopathy would be associated with an elevated RT-CIT effect. To investigate this hypothesized relation, we conducted a pre-registered study (n = 86, student sample), employing a novel CIT paradigm that incorporates no-go trials to assess response inhibition capacity. Psychopathic traits were measured using the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale, while the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) assessed impulsivity. The novel CIT paradigm revealed impressive detection efficiency. However, contrary to our expectations, we observed no significant correlation between the RT-CIT effect and secondary psychopathic traits (BF01 = 6.98). This cautiously suggests that while secondary psychopathic tendencies do not improve RT-CIT validity, they also do not compromise it. Although future investigations should explore more diverse contexts and populations, this tentative finding is reassuring and underscores the robustness of the CIT paradigm.

Functional Brain Network of Trait Impulsivity: Whole-Brain Functional Connectivity Predicts Self-Reported Impulsivity.

Given impulsivity's multidimensional nature and its implications across various aspects of human behavior, a comprehensive understanding of functional brain circuits associated with this trait is warranted. In the current study, we utilized whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity data of healthy males (n = 156) to identify a network of connections predictive of an individual's impulsivity, as assessed by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS)-11. Our participants were selected, in part, based on their self-reported BIS-11 impulsivity scores. Specifically, individuals who reported high or low trait impulsivity scores during screening were selected first, followed by those with intermediate impulsivity levels. This enabled us to include participants with rare, extreme scores and to cover the entire BIS-11 impulsivity spectrum. We employed repeated K-fold cross-validation for feature-selection and used stratified 10-fold cross-validation to train and test our models. Our findings revealed a widespread neural network associated with trait impulsivity and a notable correlation between predicted and observed scores. Feature importance and node degree were assessed to highlight specific nodes and edges within the impulsivity network, revealing previously overlooked key brain regions, such as the cerebellum, brainstem, and temporal lobe, while supporting previous findings on the basal ganglia-thalamo-prefrontal network and the prefrontal-motor strip network in relation to impulsiveness. This deepened understanding establishes a foundation for identifying alterations in functional brain networks associated with dysfunctional impulsivity.

Impulsivity Impacts Suicidality in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder with and without Comorbid Depression

Abstract Objective: The independent rôle of impulsivity in alcoholism patient’s suicidality is less elucidated. In this study, we intended to investigate how impulsivity and depression contribute to suicidality in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Methods: We recruited 27 adult patients with AUD and major depressive disorder (AUD with MDD) and 33 with AUD only (AUD without MDD). We assessed suicidality, alcohol use severity, depression severity, impulsivity, and other psychiatric comorbidities. Suicidality was quantified for the frequency of previous history of suicide attempts and for current suicide intent/tendency. Impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). We addressed how impulsivity contributed to both suicidality indices in multiple ordinal regressions. Results: Patients with AUD with MDD versus those with AUD without MDD showed significantly higher suicidality (p &lt; 0.001), significantly more severe alcohol (p &lt; 0.01), significantly more polysubstance use (p &lt; 0.05), significantly more anxiety comorbidities (p &lt; 0.05), and significantly higher BIS scores (p &lt; 0.001). In a better-fitting final model using regression with stepwise elimination, the BIS total score was independently and significantly associated with current suicide tendency (p &lt; 0.05) and frequency of previous suicide attempts (p &lt; 0.01). In contrast, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 score was significantly associated only with current suicidal tendencies (p &lt; 0.01), but not with the frequency of previous attempts. Conclusion: Depressed patients relative to nondepressed individuals with AUD showed higher suicidality, Barratt impulsivity, and severity of alcohol use. Across groups, BIS impulsivity but not the severity of depression was found to predict suicidality. We suggest that suicide prevention efforts may include assessment of impulsivity in AUD patients.

Impulsivity in Euthymic Patients with Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders

Abstract Background There is marked interest to research to find out the differences between unipolar and bipolar depression. Consequently we aimed to study impulsivity in euthymic unipolar and bipolar patients to find any difference. Aim of the Work Comparing impulsivity in euthymic major depressive and bipolar patients and healthy controls, to find out if these two different disorders have different impulsivity profiles. To find any clinical correlation with impulsivity scores in unipolar and bipolar patients. Subjects and Methods It is a cross sectional case-control study of 50 euthymic unipolar and bipolar patients and25 matched healthy controls. They were subjected to: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV disorders, (SCID-I) to ascertain clinical diagnosis, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) to validate euthymia. Barratt impulsiveness scale. Also general health questionnaire is applied for controls to exclude any psychiatric disorder and an information sheet gathering patient data was done. Results Regarding barratt impulsiveness subscales, the most affected group with non-planning impulsivity was unipolar depression group with Mean± SD (29.88±3.94). while regarding attentional impulsivity, unipolar and bipolar depression groups were similarly affected with Mean± SD (19.4±3.8). While regarding motor impulsivity the most affected group was bipolar depression group with Mean± SD (30.56±4.49). Conclusions Analysis of Barratt impulsiveness scale in our study revealed that the unipolar and bipolar groups scored almost the same on total impulsivity measures. The most affected group with non-planning impulsivity was unipolar depression group while regarding motor impulsivity, the most affected group with motor impulsivity was bipolar depression group. Regarding attentions impulsivity, unipolar and bipolar depression groups were similarly affected.