The affective lability scales: Development of a short-form measure

Abstract

We examined the factor structure of the Affective Lability Scales and constructed an 18-item short form (ALS-SF). Three independent studies are presented. Study 1 presented a factor analysis, which failed to support the initial six-factor structure and suggested a three-factor solution. A potential 18-item ALS-SF was developed and described by an anxiety/depression scale, depression/elation scale, and an anger scale. Preliminary convergent validity analysis showed a high correlation between the total ALS score and the ALS-SF total score as well as highly similar relationships between the two ALS total scores and their correlations with other measures of affective functioning (i.e., affect intensity, impulsivity, depression). Study 2 presented a confirmatory factor analysis of the proposed short form and suggested that the 18-item scale could constitute a three-factor or six-factor model, both showing good fit. Study 3 evaluated the short form’s temporal stability characteristics, which were computed over a thirty-day period. Overall, the 18-item ALS-SF appears to serve as an adequate measure of overall affect lability.

Introduction

Affect dysregulation refers to maladaptive patterns of emotional regulation that impair daily life functioning (Carver, Lawerence, & Scheier, 1996). Dysregulated affective functioning is important, as it constitutes a primary feature of various types of psychopathology including depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder (Harvey, Greenberg, & Serper, 1989). An important aspect of affect dysregulation is affect lability. Affect lability refers to the frequency, speed, and range of changes in affective states. Several studies have found significant relationships between affective lability and areas of emotional and behavioral problems including late-life suicide (Turvey et al., 2002), substance-use related problems (Simons & Carey, 2002), impulsive-aggressive behavior (Coccaro, 1991), and somatic complaints (Gonzales, Martelli, & Baker, 2000).

One scale used to measure affect lability is the Affective Lability Scales (ALS), a 54-item survey developed to assess change across various modalities of affective functioning (Harvey et al., 1989). The scale was developed by creating items describing the affective change from a person’s normal (euthymic) mood to other affective modalities including elation, depression, and anger. The ALS is comprised of six correlated conceptual scales: depression, anxiety, elation, depression/anxiety, anger, and biphasic affect (depression/elation). More specifically, the ALS measures self-reported lability in affect involving changes between euthymia and depression, anxiety, anger, and hypomania, as well as shifts between hypomania and depression and anxiety and depression.

While the ALS has been shown to have good internal reliability and discriminant validity in its association with measures of depression and affect intensity, there is limited empirical support for its hypothesized factor structure. Moreover, given that the 54-item ALS is somewhat lengthy, it is not clear whether a short-form of the ALS could reasonably serve as a more efficient measure of affect lability. Accordingly, this article presents a series of independent studies that evaluate the factor structure of the ALS and construct and validate a short-form version of the ALS that retains sound psychometric properties. That is, Study 1 presents an exploratory factor analysis of the original ALS and the development of a plausible ALS short-form scale (ALS-SF). In addition, this study sought to evaluate the congruence between the ALS and the developed ALS-SF and the relationships between the ALS-SF and other measures of affective functioning (e.g., depression, affect intensity, and impulsivity). Study 2 presents a confirmatory factor analysis of the ALS-SF with an independent sample. Finally, Study 3 presents an analysis of the short form’s test-retest reliability.