Psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Barratt ImpulsivenessScale-11 (BIS-11) in nonclinical subjects

To assess the psychometric properties of the Italian translation of the Bar ratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). the scale was administered to 763 col lege undergraduates. Based on analyses using item-total correlations and t- tests for differences between the top and the bottom total score quartiles, all items from the English Version of the BIS-11 were retained in the Ital ian version. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was .79 and two-mont h test-retest reliability was .89. An exploratory principal-components anal ysis replicated the six first-order factors and three oblique second-order factors, consistent with the number identified in the English version. Howe ver, subfactor item loadings differed between the English and Italian versi ons. The overall item pool was consistent in being a homogeneous measure of impulsiveness. The BIS-11 total score was correlated significantly with ag gression and ADHD measures. The BIS-11 also significantly differentiated be tween high and low levels of binge eating, alcohol consumption, and cigaret te smoking. (C) 2001 John Wiley a Sons, Inc.