Examination of a short English version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale

•SUPPS-P subscales have adequate internal consistency coefficients.•SUPPS-P subscales inter-correlations are similar compared to UPPS-P subscales.•SUPPS-P subscales have criterion-related associations with risky behaviors.•SUPPS-P has a similar factor structure compared to the original UPPS-P.•Minimal loss in shared variance and significant time savings with SUPPS-P.

The current study examines a recently developed short English version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. Participants were 251 undergraduate students (59.3% male; mean age = 21.16 (SD = 4.18); 72% Caucasian). The short version generally replicated the internal consistency (0.74–0.88 across subscales) and inter-scale correlations of the full English UPPS-P. Moreover, the estimated loss of shared variance was small (0%–6.4% reductions across subscales) as compared to a 66% time-savings. Structural equation modeling replicated previously supported factor structures and relationships to external outcomes using the full UPPS-P. This short UPPS-P scale should be considered a valid and reliable alternative to the full UPPS-P in English-speaking non-clinical adult samples.