Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF-2) in primary school-aged children

The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) is a standardized rating scale used by parents and teachers to provide helpful information about a child’s Executive Functions (EFs) in one’s everyday environments (e.g., home and school). The questionnaire is designed to measure EF’s various behavioral manifestations in children and adolescents aged five to 18. Performance-based measures have shown some limitations in assessing EFs, and rating scales have been proposed as an alternative. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition, BRIEF-2 parent-form in children aged six to 12 years.

Participants were 470 parents of school-aged children, 230-girl (48.9%) and 240-boy (51.1%) between six and 12 years old (M = 9.15; SD = 1.92). One hundred twenty students (25.5%) were six to eight years old; 137 (29.2%) were from eight to nine years old; 143 (30.4%) were from ten to11 years old, and 70 (14.9%) were 12 years old. The students were in Grade 1 (16.59%) Grade 2 (16.80%) Grade 3 (16.59%), Grade 4 (16.38%) Grade 5 (17.02%) and Grade 6 (16. 59%). Samples were selected from regions (north, south, east, west, and center) in Tehran city according to gender and age ratios. In the sample, 79.34% of participants were monolingual, and 21.66% bilingual. Based on this questionnaire, participants were excluded if they reported having been diagnosed with developmental, intellectual, psychiatric, or neurological disorders or mental impairments. Excluding children with disabilities from the study was a deliberate choice since this study attempted to focus on invariance during development. Indeed, incorporating children with disabilities into the participant sample might have biased the data since the developmental trajectory in pathological subjects may differ from that in healthy subjects. The study was approved by the Ethics of the American Psychological Association. After approval by the school board, parents were invited (in writing) to enroll in the study and to provide their informed consent to participation. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Revision, Parent Form (BRIEF-2; Gioia et al., 2015) was used to measure executive functions. To verify dimensionality the BRIEF-2 (three-factor model) dimensionality, CFA was employed utilizing the AMOS Graphics 24.0 program. The models’ goodness-of-fit level was estimated using the χ² test and the following fit indices: The Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Normed Fit Index (NFI). CFI values can range between 0 and 1, with values above 0.90 considered indicating acceptable fit. The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was also calculated, with values of less than.08 considered acceptable.

The analysis of the internal structure using confirmatory factor analysis reveals that the model with three indexes (Behavioral, Emotional and Cognitive) and nine scales (Inhibit, Shift, Self-Monitor, Emotional Control, Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, Organization of Materials and Task-Monitor) showed good fit to the sample. The coefficient alpha values for the index scores ranged 0.91 to 0.93, with coefficients for the individual scales ranging from.87 to.92. Accordingly, results showed that the Persian version of the BRIEF-2 parent form demonstrated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Convergent validity with Coolidge Executive Functioning Inventory (CEFI) and discriminant validity between normal and clinical groups was good.

The findings support the factorial validity of the BRIEF-2 scores, suggesting that it is an adequate instrument to evaluate executive functioning reported by parents and caregivers. According to the findings, it can be said that the Persian version of the BRIEF-2 has good psychometric properties and can be a good tool for use in clinical and research situations.