Use of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and Child Behavior Checklist in Ugandan Children with HIV or a History of Severe Malaria

Abstract

Objective To assess the structural overlap between the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Achenbach Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) among children in Uganda. Methods Caregiver ratings for the BRIEF and CBCL were obtained for two independent samples of school-aged children: 106 children (5-12 years old, 50% males) with a history of severe malaria, and on 144 HIV-infected children (5-12 years old, 58% males) in Uganda. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure of the 8 sub-scales for the BRIEF and the 8 scales of the CBCL to determine correlation. Results Overall, children in the severe malaria group had higher (increased symptom) BRIEF and CBCL scores than children in the HIV-infected group. We identified 3 factors that provided a reasonable fit to the data and could be characterized as 3 specific domains: 1) Metacognition, which consisted of the scales in the BRIEF Metacognition domain; 2) Behavioral Adjustment, which was comprised of the scales in the BRIEF Behavioral Regulation domain and the Externalizing Symptoms scales in the CBCL; and 3) Emotional Adjustment, which mainly consisted of the Internalizing Symptoms scales in the CBCL. The BRIEF Behavior Regulation and CBCL Externalizing Symptoms scales, however, did overlap in terms of assessing similar behavior symptoms. These findings were consistent across the severe malaria and HIV-infected samples of children. Conclusion The BRIEF and CBCL instruments offer distinct, yet complementary, assessments of behavior in clinical pediatric populations in the Ugandan context, supporting the use of these measures for similar research settings.

Does Congenital Heart Disease Affect Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children with Down Syndrome?

“…The CBCL and BRIEF yield T-Scores (mean 5 50 and standard deviation 5 10). 21 Standard scores for SB-5 and DAS-II were used (mean 5 100 and standard deviation 5 15). 22 The diagnosis of ADHD was made by the psychologist or the pediatrician in the medical home using the Vanderbilt test.…”

Validity of Neuropsychological Testing in Young African Children Affected by HIV

“…For this study, we chose four Western-developed standard tests, previously used in LMIC HIV/AIDS and other high burden illness settings, These measures have proven sensitive to the neuropsychological effects of pediatric HIV in the sub-Saharan African context, assessing aspects of motor development and proficiency, attention, working memory, learning, visual-spatial analysis and problem solving, and planning and reasoning 11–16 . The present study used the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition (KABC-II) 17 , the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA; www.tovatest.com) 18 , the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2 nd edition (BOT-2) 19 , and the Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Function (BRIEF) 20 …”

Effect of Caregiver Training on the Neurodevelopment of HIV-Exposed Uninfected Children and Caregiver Mental Health: A Ugandan Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

“…We have previously found that HIV-affected depressed mothers in this setting are more likely to report child emotional and behavioral problems. 47, 48 In the present study, significantly higher reported behavior problems on the BRIEF-P for MISC children at one-year follow-up could have been due to MISC training resulting in increased caregiver sensitivity to their children’s behavior and their own behavioral expectations of their children compared to the health and nutrition focused curriculum.…”