Construction and Standardization of an Impulsivity Scale for Adolescents

Abstract

Impulsivity, defined as the tendency to act without foresight, comprises a multitude of constructs. Impulsivity has been linked to a number of socially deviant behaviours such as aggression, substance abuse, and psychopathologies such as bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder suicide attempt etc. It is a significant concern among the adolescent population. Hence this variable needs to be studied systematically. The purpose of the present study was to construct and standardize an impulsivity scale for adolescents. The draft scale having 60 items and 5 dimensions was administered to 600 adolescent students. The researchers developed the final Impulsivity scale for adolescents having 30 items,16 of the items were favorable while 14 were unfavorable. The items were selected basing on the high t-value and each of the dimensions of the scale was given equal weightage. The results of the present study reveal that it is a internally consistent measure of Impulsivity and has potential utility for measuring impulsivity among adolescents.