Psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the UPPS-P impulsive behavior scale for children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To translate and validate the version for children and adolescents of the UPPS-P scale into Brazilian Portuguese. METHOD: After a five-step translation process, the final draft was submitted to a panel of 12 different specialties experts. Subsequently, the application of the scale was applied concomitantly with the “Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Scale - Version IV” (SNAP-IV) and the “Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory” (CABI) scale to analyze the correlation between them. Content Validity Index (CVI) and reliability were estimated by calculating internal consistency and analyzing its test-retest stability. RESULTS: The items whose CVI was lower than 80% underwent a detailed analysis to verify the reason for the bad evaluation. Five items (3, 7, 11, 22 and 35) scored below 80% and were reassessed. There was high internal consistency in all parameters: Lack of premeditation (McDonald's omega = 0.806; Cronbach's alpha = 0.801), Negative Urgency (McDonald's omega = 0.838; Cronbach's alpha = 0.836), Sensation seeking (McDonald's omega = 0.826; Cronbach's alpha = 0.810), Lack of Perseverance (McDonald's omega = 0.800; Cronbach's alpha = 0.799) and Positive Urgency (McDonald's omega = 0.936; Cronbach's alpha = 0.934). A strong correlation was observed between UPPS-P features and impulsivity in behavioral assessments. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the UPPS-P scale is a good instrument to assess impulsivity in children and adolescents.