ADE. Suma Psicológica · 2026

The factorial structure of the short UPPS-P impulsive behaviour scale for children and adolescents in an Argentine sample

Introduction/Objective: Impulsivity in adolescents is associated with risky behaviours, making the UPPS-P Impulsive Behaviour Scale a key tool for its assessment. However, the validity of its brief version in adolescents, particularly in Latin American contexts such as Argentina, has been hardly at all explored. Therefore, this study analysed the psychometric properties of the brief UPPS-P scale in Argentine adolescents. Method: The sample comprised 990 adolescents (60% female, age range 12–18 years, M = 13.89 years, SD = 1.28). The internal structure of the brief UPPS-P was evaluated using exploratory, procrustean, and confirmatory factor analyses. Results: Factor analyses revealed inconsistencies in the structure of the short UPPS-P. Both the MORGANA method and the Bayesian Lasso covariance procedure indicated that the presence of item doublets influenced model parsimony. Conclusion: The validity of the brief UPPS-P in Argentine adolescents is compromised by residual variance among items. These findings highlight the need to revise the scale to optimise its clinical or educational application in adolescent populations.