UPPS Dimensions of Impulsivity

Although cognitive distortions are widely acknowledged in the explanation of impulsivity-related psychopathologies (and more recently in the explanation of specific impulsive behaviors), no study has systematically verified whether they can also explain the cognitive processes underlying these impulsivity traits of personality: urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking (UPPS). Moreover, childhood maltreatment has been frequently associated with both cognitive distortions and impulsive behaviors but never with UPPS traits. A study was conducted on undergraduate students to examine the influence of cognitive distortions and childhood maltreatment on four dimensions of impulsivity from the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. Regression analyses revealed that Premature Processing, a term applied to a group of seven cognitive distortions such as emotional reasoning and confusing needs and wants, as well as childhood maltreatment, was able to predict significantly and independently the Negative Urgency dimension of impulsivity, above and beyond gender and the three other subscales of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. Coherent with Beck’s cognitive model, these results suggest that the Negative Urgency trait is associated with cognitive distortions that can undermine thought processes in a variety of ways, increasing the likelihood of acting rashly. However, more studies are needed to develop instruments and identify specific forms of cognitive distortions associated with impulsivity traits.