What is the BRIEF-A?
BRIEF-A stands for Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult Version
It is a patient-reported scale to measure various aspects of adult executive functioning and self-regulation in the person’s everyday environment.
Items
75 items that patients rate on a 3-point Likert scale (1 = behavior is never observed to 3 = behavior is often observed).
Scores
Higher scores indicate greater impairment in executive functioning.
Nine non-overlapping subscales
Four of them (Inhibit, Shift, Emotional Control, Self-Monitor) combine to yield the Behavioral Regulation Index (BRI)
The remaining five (Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, Task Monitor, Organization of Materials) combine to yield the Metacognitive Index (MI)
The two indices combine to yield the total score, called the Global Executive Composite (GEC) score.
Validity
The BRIEF-A has three validity scales built into it: Inconsistency, Infrequency, and Negativity.
These validity scales aim to evaluate whether subjects are answering the questions in an inconsistent, atypical, or negative fashion, respectively.
Copyright
The scale is copyrighted by Psychological Assessment Resources
References
Roth RM, Isquith PK, Gioia GA. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult Version (BRIEF-A). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, 2005.
Related Pages
How to screen all your patients for Adult ADHD
Why don’t we screen every patient for adult ADHD?
Copyright 2016, Rajnish Mago, MD. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without express written permission.
Disclaimer: The content on this website is provided as general education for medical professionals. It is not intended or recommended for patients or other laypersons, or as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Patients must always consult a qualified health care professional regarding their diagnosis and treatment. Healthcare professionals should always check this website for the most recently updated information.
It sounds very interesting but the link to the copyright owner offers versions of the Brief-A that are not free.
Thanks, Dr. Freedman, for your comment. Yes, the scale is not free. Brief information (no pun intended) about it is provided on this website mainly because it is frequently used in adult ADHD studies. To read and understand the papers, it is necessary to have at least some idea about what the scale is. Of course, those with special interest in adult ADHD and executive dysfunction associated with it could purchase copies of the scale if they wanted to.