Latent profile analysis of trait impulsivity facets and associations with resilience, problematic alcohol use, and quality of life.

Background: Impulsivity is a multidimensional construct that is associated with problematic alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Modeling within-person clustering of impulsivity facets has the potential to aid clinical case conceptualization, and examining associations with resilience and well-being outcomes can inform strength-based intervention approaches. In this study, we utilized latent profile analysis (LPA) to capture the clustering of trait impulsivity facets and tested resilience as a mediational pathway linking impulsivity latent profiles to problematic alcohol use and quality of life domains.

Methods: A total of 401 adults (59.9% male and 71.6% with past-year AUD) who completed self-reported measures of trait impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale), resilience, and alcohol-related outcomes were included in this study. Statistical analyses included LPA, linear regression, and path analysis.

Results: LPA identified three profiles that varied by overall impulsivity as well as specific levels of negative and positive urgency: Profile 1-Low Impulsivity/Urgency (36.4%), Profile 2-Medium Impulsivity (45.6%), and Profile 3-High Impulsivity/Urgency (18.0%). The percentages of past-year AUD were 37.7% in Profile 1, 87.4% in Profile 2, and 100% in Profile 3. Latent profiles with higher impulsivity had lower resilience, higher problematic alcohol use, and lower quality of life. Low resilience was a significant mediator of associations between Medium/High Impulsivity profiles and all clinical outcomes, including problematic alcohol use and four quality of life domains.

Conclusions: In this person-centered analysis, individuals who scored high on negative urgency also had elevated scores on positive urgency and several other impulsivity facets. Within-person clustering of impulsivity facets was associated with differential risk for AUD, and latent profile differences in problematic alcohol use and quality of life outcomes were mediated by low resilience. Findings highlight resilience as a potential treatment target that warrants further evaluation in clinical research.