Latent Structure of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function—Adult Version (BRIEF–A) After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

One hundred persons with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their informants completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A) within 1-12 months after injury. Exploratory maximum-likelihood factor analysis with oblique rotation revealed that although a traditional 2-factor model fit the informant-report data well, a 3-factor solution fit the self-report data relatively best. These factors were labeled Metacognition, Behavioral Regulation, and Emotional Regulation. The presence of a premorbid history of outpatient psychiatric treatment was strongly predictive of higher scores (reflecting more perceived problems) on each of these 3 factors. Lower educational attainment was associated with higher scores on the Behavioral Regulation factor, whereas absence of intracranial findings on neuroimaging was associated with higher scores on the Emotional Regulation factor. It is concluded that, after mild TBI, self-report data on the BRIEF-A can be interpreted along a 3-factorial model and that high elevations on this instrument are strongly affected by premorbid complications.