Conceptualizing the UPPS-P model of impulsive personality through network analysis: Key dimensions and general robustness across young adulthood

Objective: Within the UPPS-P model of impulsive personality, negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking dimensions have been linked to unique etiological mechanisms and outcomes. Yet, additional research is needed exploring direct relations among dimensions to determine how these relations may contribute to the nature of impulsive personality and its correlates. The current study used network analysis to clarify relations among UPPS-P dimensions and assess global robustness of these relations across young adulthood. Method: Participants included a longitudinal sample of 525 college students (48% male, 18–26 years) who completed the UPPS-P once per year for three consecutive years. Results: Network structure was globally robust with particularly strong relations emerging between positive and negative urgency, as well as between lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance, across waves. Lack of premeditation consistently emerged as a central dimension. Additional analyses suggested lack of premeditation and sensation seeking as most robustly related with retrospectively reported frequency of alcohol use. Conclusions: Results suggested general robustness in the relations among impulsive personality dimensions, with relations involving lack of premeditation being particularly important for characterizing impulsive personality's nature. Sensation seeking and lack of premeditation may warrant particular focus when linking impulsive personality with frequency of alcohol use.