Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire Research Articles

Dopamine mediates a directionally opposite correlation between empathy and the reinforcing effects of amphetamine and gambling in people with gambling disorder vs. healthy controls

Understanding the relationship between empathy, subjective effects of addictive reinforcers and dopamine function in people with gambling disorder (PGD) vs. healthy controls (HCs) may inform GD treatment. The current investigation addressed this issue via retrospective analysis of data from three studies using amphetamine and a slot machine (SLOTS) as reinforcers in PGD and HCs. The Empathy scale of Eysenck's Impulsiveness Questionnaire assessed trait Empathy. The Gamblers Beliefs Questionnaire assessed cognitive distortions. The Eysenck Lie scale assessed socially desirable responding. PET scans quantified dopamine receptor expression and amphetamine-induced dopamine release in Study 1. Pre-treatment with the D2-receptor (D2R)-preferring antagonist, haloperidol or D1R-D2R antagonist, fluphenazine before SLOTS tested the role of D2 autoreceptors and post-synaptic D2R in Study 2. Pre-treatment with the multi-system indirect dopamine agonist, modafinil before SLOTS assessed the reliability of correlations in PGD. Striatal D2R expression predicted greater Empathy and lower amphetamine ‘Liking’ in HCs, and predicted greater symptom severity in PGD. Empathy predicted lower ‘Exciting’ effects of SLOTS under placebo in HCs; no correlation emerged under either antagonist. Relative to placebo, haloperidol decreased, whereas fluphenazine increased, the positive correlation between Empathy and Exciting effects of SLOTS in PGD. Modafinil markedly reduced the positive correlation between Empathy and Exciting effects of SLOTS seen under placebo in PGD. Empathy predicted greater cognitive distortions in PGD in all studies. Lie scale variance influenced several primary effects. Prior research linking the insula with Empathy, reactivity to interoceptive signals for risky rewards (uncertainty), and cognitive distortions, provides a parsimonious account for these results.

The effect of acute psychosocial stress on salivary cortisol and testosterone responses in men and women: The role of impulsivity

Personality-like traits such as impulsivity may be associated with interindividual variation in endocrine function and in physiological reactivity to psychosocial stress. This study investigated the relationship between impulsivity, cortisol, and testosterone both in baseline conditions and in response to psychosocial stress in a mixed-sex sample of college students (mean age = 22.275, SD = 4.321). Half of our study participants (total n = 120, 60 male, 60 female) underwent a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) (n = 60, 31 male, 29 female) and half were in a control condition (n = 60, 29 male, 31 female). All of them provided saliva samples to assess hormone levels at three-time points (i.e., “baseline”, “during”, and “after” either the TSST or control condition) and completed the Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire (EIQ). We found positive correlations between the global EIQ score, its dimension ‘venturesomeness’, and testosterone levels when data for males and females were analyzed together. We also found a negative correlation between ‘venturesomeness’ and cortisol changes. The EIQ dimension ‘impulsivity’ influenced cortisol changes in both sexes, whereas the global EIQ influenced testosterone changes only in females in the control condition. Our results highlight potential sex differences in the association between steroid hormones and various aspects of impulsivity and suggest limited effects of impulsivity dimensions on the regulation of cortisol and testosterone levels.

The Scale of Attitudes Toward Seniors (SATS). Presentation of the measurement tool

AimThe aim of this study was to re-validate the Scale of Attitudes Toward Seniors (SATS) developed based on G. Miłkowska’s concept of social attitudes towards the elderly. MethodThe validation was carried out on a sample of 1025 people aged M = 30.75 (SD = 14.05). An exploratory factor analysis with raw Quartimax rotation was performed, and theoretical validity was determined by analyzing the correlation matrix summarizing the relationship between the SATS vs. the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Resilience Assessment Scale (SPP-25), the Anger Expression Scale (SEG), the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC), The Life Attitudes Profile (LAP) and the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire (IVE). ResultsThree subscales of the SATS were distinguished: Respect and Recognition, Rejection and Misunderstanding, and Social Distance, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients in the range of .70-.93. Correlation analyses and other methods confirmed the content validity of the SATS. ConclusionsThe properties of the SATS indicate that this tool can be deployed in individual psychological assessment and in research.

An Analysis of Treatment-Seeking Behavior in Individuals with Gambling Disorder.

Gambling disorder affects approximately 1.1-3.5% of the population, with the rates being higher in young adults. Despite this high prevalence, little is known regarding which pathological gamblers decide to seek treatment. This study sought to examine the differences in three groups of pathological gamblers: those who did not seek treatment (n=94), those who sought therapy (n=106) and those who sought medication therapy (n=680). All subjects were assessed on a variety of measures including demographics, family history, gambling history, comorbid psychiatric disorders and an assortment of clinical variables such as the Quality of Life Inventory, Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales, Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for Pathologic Gambling (PG-YBOCS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire and select cognitive tasks. Those seeking treatment were more likely to be Caucasian, have lost more money in the past year due to gambling, andwere more likely to have legal and social problems as a result of their gambling. Those seeking therapy or medical treatment also scored significantly higher on the PG-YBOCS. This study suggests that pathologic gamblers seeking treatment were more likely to exhibit obsessive-compulsive tendencies likely leading to the increased legal and social problems that exist in this group.

Stealing behavior and impulsivity in individuals with kleptomania who have been arrested for shoplifting

ObjectivesKleptomania is characterized by strong urges to steal and is one of only a few psychiatric disorders defined by illegal behaviors, but the clinical characteristics of individuals with kleptomania who have faced legal consequences due to their behavior are poorly understood. MethodFrom 2001 to 2012, we recruited 107 adult participants with DSM-IV kleptomania. Participants with a history of shoplifting-related arrest (N=82) were compared with those who had no such history (N=25) on demographics, clinical features, and a self-report measure of impulsivity. ResultsParticipants whose shoplifting had resulted in arrest had higher self-rated impulsivity on a weak trend level (Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire), with large to very large effect size (Cohen's d=1.12). Group comparisons showed no significant differences in terms of overall functioning (d=0.60), time spent stealing (d=0.73), frequency of stealing behavior (d=0.33), psychiatric comorbidity, or severity of kleptomania symptoms. ConclusionsLegal problems in kleptomania may be associated with generalized deficits in inhibitory control independent of kleptomania symptom severity. These findings emphasize the need for treatment to improve functional status in individuals with kleptomania and reduce the social and economic costs associated with reoffending.

Neurocognitive dysfunction in problem gamblers with co-occurring antisocial personality disorder

ObjectivesProblem gamblers with symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) may represent a distinct problem gambling subtype, but the neurocognitive profile of individuals affected by both disorders is poorly characterized. MethodNon-treatment-seeking young adults (18–29years) who gambled ≥5 times in the preceding year were recruited from the general community. Problem gamblers (defined as those meeting ≥1 DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder) with a lifetime history of ASPD (N=26) were identified using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and compared with controls (N=266) using questionnaire-based impulsivity scales and objective computerized neuropsychological tasks. Findings were uncorrected for multiple comparisons. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d. ResultsProblem gambling with ASPD was associated with significantly elevated gambling disorder symptoms, lower quality of life, greater psychiatric comorbidity, higher impulsivity questionnaire scores on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (d=0.4) and Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire (d=0.5), and impaired cognitive flexibility (d=0.4), executive planning (d=0.4), and an aspect of decision-making (d=0.6). Performance on measures of response inhibition, risk adjustment, and quality of decision making did not differ significantly between groups. ConclusionsThese preliminary findings, though in need of replication, support the characterization of problem gambling with ASPD as a subtype of problem gambling associated with higher rates of impulsivity and executive function deficits. Taken together, these results may have treatment implications.

Impulsivity and gambling: A complex clinical association across three measures.

Gambling disorder (GD) is often characterized as an impulsive condition, but results to date have varied substantially by the measure used to assess impulsivity and the modality of the assessment. The purpose of this analysis was to assess the clinical associations between three measures of impulsivity (Eysenck impulsiveness questionnaire [EIQ], Barratt impulsiveness scale [BIS], and stop-signal task [SST]) and GD symptom severity. One hundred and fifty-four participants with a current GD diagnosis were assessed on at least one of the three measures of impulsivity and additional clinical measures of gambling severity. Groups within each domain of the measures were divided using a mean split to compare high and low impulsivity (HI and LI) across clinical and demographic variables. Of the included domains, the motor impulsivity domain of the BIS showed multiple clinical differences between the HI and LI groups. The attentional impulsivity domain of the BIS showed limited clinical associations. Surprisingly, HI and LI groups from the SST and EIQ domains did not show any differences in symptom severity. These findings emphasize the complex nature of impulsivity, particularly as it relates to GD. With disparate results between different measures, it will be important to clarify the specific features assessed by each measure, and their optimal use clinically. This analysis suggests that the motor impulsivity feature of the BIS shows the strongest clinical utility for predicting gambling severity. It also emphasizes the importance of sub-typing impulsivity, rather than considering it a single neurocognitive feature.

Impulsivity in body-focused repetitive behavior disorders: Disparate clinical associations between three distinct measures

Objective: Research on trichotillomania (TTM) and excoriation (skin-picking) disorder (SPD) has suggested that impulsivity may be an important cognitive underpinning of the behavior, but many studies have produced mixed results. This analysis assessed impulsivity in TTM and SPD using three measures: the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire (EIQ), and the Stop-Signal Task (SST). Methods: Two hundred and eighty three subjects with TTM or SPD completed measurement of impulsivity as a part of participation in several research studies. Subjects scoring one standard deviation above or below measure means were included in the analysis for that scale (SST: N = 45; EIQ: N = 32; BIS: N = 34). High and low impulsive groups were compared within measures on demographic, clinical, and behavioral variables. Results: Results differed by group, with domains of the BIS showing associations with clinical severity, quality of life, and anxiety, and the SST showing several differences, but not clinical severity. The EIQ domains showed no significant differences. No groups differed demographically. Conclusions: These results suggest that the EIQ, BIS, and SST assess distinct characteristics. Notably, only the attentional domain from the BIS predicted higher severity scores. Future research needs to clarify the ideal utility for these scales as they relate to TTM and SPD.Key pointsThe BIS, EIQ, and SST domains are associated with distinct clinical differences between high and low impulsivity groups.Only the subjects in the high attentional impulsivity domain of the BIS showed significantly elevated symptom severity.The high and low impulsivity groups within the EIQ domains did not show any significant differences.These disparate associations may indicate the need for better subtyping of impulsivity, as different measures of specific domains appear to show associations with distinct features.

Étude de la dépression, des événements de vie, de l’impulsivité et du lieu de contrôle au sein d’une population nouvellement incarcérée

IntroductionDuring the first days of incarceration, the “shock prison” may encourage the appearance of symptomatology reaction with the presence of depressive disorders. Several studies in prisons showed the presence of certain socio-demographic characteristics, psychological and legal in this population life course singular susceptible to weaken against the event that represents an incarceration. ObjectiveThe present study is twofold. This is firstly to assess depression, life events, impulsivity and locus of control in a newly incarcerated population and secondly to compare the results with depressed people those do not show depression. MethodMaintenance of semi-structured research was proposed to 46 inmates in the unit of outpatient consultations in a prison in 2010. This interview was completed by placing two questionnaires (Beck Depression Questionnaire, Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire) and scale (Multidimensional locus of control scale of Levenson). ResultsOf the forty four inmates incarcerated for less than 10 days, who participated in the study twenty-six had a depression, a significant number of incarceration, psychiatric history, certain life events (personal and maternal abuse, parental alcoholism), as well as significantly higher scores with regard to empathy and external locus of control type “powerful character”. ConclusionHome maintenance is a systematic critical time. Newly incarcerated population, with a depression score above the standard psychological characteristics show support from the idea of a unique formation of the personality associated with the presence of life events and highlights particularly difficult childhood susceptible to weaken, especially to cope with the event that is incarceration.

Religious diversity, empathy, and God images: perspectives from the psychology of religion shaping a study among adolescents in the UK

Major religious traditions agree in advocating and promoting love of neighbour as well as love of God. Love of neighbour is reflected in altruistic behaviour and empathy stands as a key motivational factor underpinning altruism. This study employs the empathy scale from the Junior Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire to assess the association between empathy and God images among a sample of 5993 religiously diverse adolescents (13–15 years old) attending state maintained schools in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and London. The key psychological theory being tested by these data concerns the linkage between God images and individual differences in empathy. The data demonstrate that religious identity (e.g. Christian, Muslim) and religious attendance are less important than the God images which young people hold. The image of God as a God of mercy is associated with higher empathy scores, while the image of God as a God of justice is associated with lower empathy scores.

Journal Digest

Journal Digest

Neurocognitive deficits associated with shoplifting in young adults

ObjectivesShoplifting is a relatively common behavior in young adults, but the demographic and neuropsychological correlates of shoplifting remain poorly characterized in this context. MethodNon–treatment-seeking young adults (18-29 years) were recruited from the general community on the basis of having no Axis I disorders, no history of illicit substance use, and no history of conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder. Participants were grouped according to presence or absence of shoplifting (at least 1 time over the past 12 months). Measures relating to impulsivity along with objective computerized neuropsychological measures were collected. ResultsShoplifters (n = 14) and controls (n = 95) did not differ significantly in terms of salient demographic characteristics. Compared with controls, shoplifters endorsed higher impulsivity on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire, gambled significantly more points on the Cambridge Gambling Task, and showed deficits on the hardest level of difficulty on the Spatial Working Memory task. Performance on executive planning, set-shifting, and response inhibition did not differ significantly between shoplifters and controls. ConclusionsThis study identified significant cognitive deficits in those with past-year shoplifting behavior even in the absence of Axis I disorders and a history of illicit drugs or alcohol. These preliminary findings inform our understanding of the neurocognitive sequelae of shoplifting and its relationship with other impulse control problems, subclinical and clinical. Future work should use longitudinal designs to examine the temporal relationship between these deficits, shoplifting behavior, other impulsive behavior, and functional impairment.

Cognitive Task Performance and Frequency of Alcohol Usage in Young Adults

The goal of our study was to examine cognitive effects of alcohol in young adults at varied levels of alcohol usage using well-validated computerized cognitive measures. One hundred fifty-five young adults (mean age: 21.15 ± 3.092 years; 25.8% female), free from non-alcohol-related psychiatric diagnoses and drug use, underwent selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery in conjunction with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire, and the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. Study participants were grouped according to alcohol frequency: nondrinkers, at-risk drinkers (subsyndromal alcohol usage), and alcohol use disorder. At-risk drinkers and individuals with alcohol use disorders bet significantly more overall on the Cambridge Gambling Task than nondrinkers. There were no significant differences noted between groups on the Spatial Working Memory task or Intra-dimensional/Extra-dimensional Set Shift task. Individuals with alcohol use disorders endorsed higher impulsivity than at-risk and nondrinkers on the Barratt Impulsivity Scale and Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire. Individuals with alcohol use disorders and at-risk drinkers also endorsed higher venturesomeness than nondrinkers on the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. Results from the Cambridge Gambling Task suggest that even at a subsyndromal level, young adults make risky decisions that mirror those seen in individuals with alcohol use disorders.

Personality Disorders and Dimensions in Pathological Gambling

Comorbid DSM-IV Axis II personality disorders appear to be common in pathological gambling (PG) and may contribute to the chronic problems often associated with the disorder. This study sought to examine the relationship between PG, personality disorders, and impulsivity in a sample of pathological gamblers. Personality assessments included the SCID-II, Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire, Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. A total of 77 individuals with DSM-IV PG were included in this study, of which 35 (45.5%) met criteria for at least one personality disorder. Specific aspects of impulsivity were associated with certain personality disorders in PG when grouped by cluster, yet the presence of a personality disorder was not positively correlated with gambling severity. It remains unclear how the presence of a personality disorder and aspects of impulsivity may affect treatment outcome. Further exploration of these disorders and dimensions of personality may encourage a more inclusively global treatment approach.

Delay and probability discounting in pathological gamblers with and without a history of substance use problems

Pathological gambling and substance use disorders are highly comorbid, possibly because they both stem from a similar process-impulsivity. Although much data exist regarding the association between delay discounting and these psychiatric disorders, relatively little research has examined probability discounting and its relationship with either substance use or gambling. The goal of the current study was to compare rates of probability and delay discounting in a large population of pathological gamblers with and without a history of substance use problems. Treatment-seeking pathological gamblers with (n = 117) and without (n = 119) a history of substance use problems completed questionnaires about discounting of hypothetical monetary outcomes and the Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire. The delay-discounting questionnaire involved choices between a smaller amount of money delivered immediately versus a larger amount delivered later, and the probability questionnaire was comprised of choices between a smaller certain versus a larger probabilistic monetary outcome. Hyperbolic functions estimated delay and probability discounting rates based on the indifference points obtained through the questionnaires. Results revealed significant effects of substance use problem status on delay but not on probability discounting, with no significant correlation noted between the two discounting processes. Only delay discounting correlated with Eysenck impulsivity scores. These data suggest that delay and probability discounting tap different dimensions, and delay discounting is more closely linked with substance use problem histories in pathological gamblers.

What self-report impulsivity measure best postdicts criminal convictions and prison breaches of discipline?

Impulsivity is the tendency to act with little forethought or regard for the consequences, and greatly influences risk of offending. The ‘What Works’ literature highlights the importance of reliable and accurate assessments of risk and need in offender populations in order to reduce reoffending. There is a lack of consensus regarding the conceptualization of impulsivity and the number of dimensions that constitute the construct, making identification of the most appropriate self-report impulsivity measure problematic. Nevertheless, the predictive validity of different impulsivity measures for antisocial behaviour is well established. This study examined the relative validity of four self-report measures of impulsivity to postdict criminal convictions and prison breaches of discipline for 105 adult male offenders currently incarcerated within UK prisons. The most reliable measure of impulsivity applicable to offender populations was the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire, which was good for postdicting breaches of prison discipline and violent criminal convictions.

Psychological and behavioral traits in smokers and their relationship with nicotine dependence level.

Although several studies have been performed to evaluate the personality differences amongst smokers with different dependency levels, they do not use constant criteria for patients selection. The inconsistencies between some of these findings suggest the need for using solid criteria such as the modified Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (mFTQ) score to evaluate the relation between personality traits and impulsivity differences and the severity of nicotine dependency. In this study, 22 heavily dependent, 37 lightly dependent and 30 non-smokers were recruited using the mFTQ score, a widely used test of nicotine dependence. All participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Cattle Anxiety Scale, Temperament, and Character Inventory and three other personality questionnaires intended to measure impulsivity: the Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale, Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire, and Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale. Participants also had to perform a behavioral choice task, the Delay Discounting Choice, which is designed to assess impulsivity. Although heavily dependent smokers scored higher than non-smokers and lightly dependents on the Beck depression Inventory and most of the impulsivity subscales; lightly dependent smokers scored higher than non-smokers only on a few subscales of the impulsivity scores. The mFTQ scores correlated significantly with many scores of the impulsivity subscales. These results would be helpful to design more specific questionnaires for the psychological assessment of smokers according to nicotine dependence level and to adopt more etiologic oriented treatment approaches in the future.

Relationships among achievement goal motivation, impulsivity, and the music practice of collegiate brass and woodwind players

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between observed practice behaviors consistent with conceptions of deliberate practice (Lehmann & Ericsson, 1997) and the performance achievement of collegiate wind players ( N = 55). The secondary purpose of this study was to explore relationships among observed practice behaviors, performance achievement, and individual differences in impulsivity and achievement goal motivation. Participants completed: (1) a 23-minute practice session; (2) pre- and post-test measures of performance achievement; (3) a researcher-adaptation of the Elliot and McGregor (2001) 2 x 2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire; (4) the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire for Adults (Eysenck, Pearson, Easting, & Allsop, 1985); (5) the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (1985); and (6) a researcher-constructed practice habit questionnaire. Reliability results for all measures and observations were acceptable. Results indicated: (1) significant positive correlations between performance achievement and the observed behaviors ‘repeat two to four measure chunk,’ ‘whole-part-whole,’ ‘slowing,’ ‘chaining,’ and ‘use of metronome;’ (2) significant negative correlations between performance achievement and the behaviors ‘varying pitch’ and ‘singing, whistling, buzzing;’ (3) a significant increase in performance achievement from pre- to post-test with less impulsive participants having higher scores at both points in time; and (4) several significant correlations between impulsiveness and achievement goal motivation sub-scales and observed practice behaviors.

Association of a functional variant of neuronal nitric oxide synthase gene with self-reported impulsiveness, venturesomeness and empathy in male offenders

It has been shown that a functional promoter dinucleotide repeat length variation of the neuronal nitric oxide synthase gene (NOS1 Ex1f-VNTR) is associated with impulsivity-related behavioral phenotypes. In this study, the Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire (IVE-7) was administered to 182 male offenders to prove the hypothesis that NOS1 Ex1f-VNTR is associated with self-reported impulsiveness, venturesomeness and empathy. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANCOVA) revealed a significant multivariate effect of NOS1 Ex1f-VNTR genotype on IVE-7 measures (P = 0.0006). The effect was more pronounced regarding impulsiveness and empathy (P = 0.0052 and P = 0.0036, respectively) as compared with venturesomeness, which was only of borderline significance. The findings give additional evidence that NOS-I is involved in the regulation of impulsive personality traits and support the notion that the NOS1 gene takes part in the regulation of social behavior.

A pilot study of impulsivity and compulsivity in pathological gambling

We examined the relationship between gambling severity, impulsivity and obsessionality/compulsivity in 38 pathological gamblers, representing the complete Minnesota sample of a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of paroxetine for the treatment of pathological gambling (PG), using Pearson correlations and linear regression models at baseline and treatment endpoint. At baseline, Pathological Gambling Modification of the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (PG-YBOCS) scores correlated significantly with those of the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire (EIQ) Impulsiveness subscale and Padua Inventory (PI) factors I and IV (corresponding to impaired control over mental and motor activities, respectively). None of the associations between PI factors and the PG-YBOCS were significant after adjusting for Impulsiveness scores. There were no differences in changes in the PG-YBOCS between the paroxetine and placebo group. Changes in PG-YBOCS scores after treatment correlated with changes in Impulsiveness scores. These changes appeared independent of paroxetine treatment. The results suggest that, although PG exhibits features of both obsessionality/compulsivity and impulsivity and elements of both decrease with treatment, impulsivity predominates and changes in gambling severity are most associated with changes in impulsivity.