Initial Examination of the BRIEF2 in Clinically Referred Children With and Without ADHD Symptoms

Abstract

Objective Clinical utility of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF2) was examined in 1,381 clinically referred youth (62.5% male, 5 to 18 years) with and without ADHD symptoms. Method Participants included children with restricted inattentive symptoms (IA only), restricted hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms (HI only), symptoms in both domains (Combined), and non-ADHD clinical comparison. Results Greater hyperactivity (Combined, HI only) was associated with higher Behavior Regulation (BRI) and Emotion Regulation (ERI) scores, whereas greater inattentiveness (IA only, Combined) was associated with higher Cognitive Regulation scores. Effect sizes were largest for Inhibit, Working Memory, and Organization of Materials scales; these scales discriminated children with and without ADHD symptoms and restricted inattentive and hyperactive presentations. Conclusion The BRIEF2 distinguishes associated features of ADHD and the day-to-day executive impact. Sensitivity was consistently poorer than specificity. The referred nature of the sample and examination of restricted presentations suggest additional work is needed to examine whether ERI and BRI are dissociable.

Parent and Teacher Ratings of Behavioral Executive Functioning for Students With Dyslexia

“…Although there have been different studies that have used rating scales of EF for individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; for example, Jacobson et al, 2016), math disabilities (Holm et al, 2018), specific language impairment (Wittke et al, 2013), reading comprehension difficulties (Locascio et al, 2010), and other neurodevelopmental disorders and psychopathologies (see Gioia et al, 2002b;Snyder et al, 2015;Wochos et al, 2014), there are only four known studies that have used a behavioral rating scale to examine EF in students with dyslexia. For instance, Gioia et al (2002b) used the parent version of the BRIEF with 34 English-speaking children with reading disabilities and found EF deficits in cognitive regulation (i.e., working memory, planning-organization), and in behavior regulation (i.e., inhibition scales), with 62% (working memory), 47% (planning-organization), and 29% (inhibition) of these children meeting the clinical significance range on those scales.…”

The role of cognitive control and emotion regulation in predicting mental health problems in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

“…Parents were asked to rate their child's behavioural functioning on 63‐item, 3‐point rating scale (N = never , S = sometimes , O = often ). The BRIEF‐2 has excellent internal consistency (Evans et al, 1998; Jacobson et al, 2016). Three of the composite T ‐scores were used for the current study: Inhibit, Working Memory and Shift.…”

Associations between specific components of executive control and eating behaviors in adolescence: A study using objective and subjective measures

“…These scales have all demonstrated good internal consistency (Inhibit: α= .87; Working Memory: α = .86; Shift: α = .82; Gioia et al, 2015). Further, the BRIEF-2 has shown the ability to distinguish youth with and without Attentional-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), providing evidence for construct validity and clinical utility (Jacobson, Pritchard, Koriakin, Jones, & Mahone, 2016).…”