(PS7-70) A Person-centered Approach to Young Adult Trait Impulsivity: Associates with Substance Use Disorders

Impulsivity, a trait and a multidimensional construct, is associated with a wide range of impulsive behaviors. Prior research has provided evidence for impulsivity’s predominant role in the development of alcohol and substance use disorders. In a meta-analysis, VanderVeen et al. (2016) found that sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, and positive urgency have medium positive associations with negative cannabis consequences. Coskunpinar et al. (2013) also reported that impulsivity, particularly positive and negative urgency, predicted problematic alcohol use in adolescents and young adults. While previous studies have examined whether each separate impulsivity trait predicts frequency and consequences of substance use, less is known about how different impulsivity facets and substance use might interact in creating subgroups. Thus, the current study aims to explore membership in distinct impulsivity profiles and its relationship with substance use. It was hypothesized that four profiles would be identified: one group low on all impulsivity traits, one group high on all impulsivity traits, one group high only on lack of perseverance and lack of premeditation, and one group high only on negative and positive urgency. Second, it was expected that the group high on all five traits and the group high on the urgency traits would have significant differences compared to the other two groups regarding substance use symptoms. Participants (N = 90) completed the Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P; Cyders & Smith, 2007) and were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5. Latent profile analysis was conducted to identify the impulsivity profiles based on the five subscales of the UPPS (i.e., negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of premeditation, sensation seeking, lack of perseverance). The analysis identified a 3-class solution as having the strongest fit with the data (convergence statistic = 1.0005, indicating the model fit the data well; posterior predictive p = .69, indicating that the solution is likely to be reproduced upon resampling). The three profiles identified included one group low on all impulsivity traits, one group high on all impulsivity traits, and one moderate group with low positive urgency traits. A chi-square test of independence was performed to examine the relation between impulsivity traits and substance use disorder. The proportion of participants who met the criteria for substance use disorder did not differ by impulsivity profiles, X2 (2, N = 90) = 2.13, p</span> = .344. Sample size might be a factor that influenced the identification of impulsivity profiles and substance use diagnosis, given the low base rate of these disorders in a young adult community sample. However, our findings still provide preliminary evidence for the variety of impulsive traits within each individual and how the co-occurring traits may be a risk factor for various disorders. Understanding impulsive personality trait profiles associated with substance use might help inform the development of psychotherapy and improvement of treatment outcomes.