title: Factor structure of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF-P) at age three years.
abstract: The preschool period is an important developmental period for the emergence of cognitive self-regulatory skills or executive functions (EF). To date, evidence regarding the structure of EF in preschool children has supported both unitary and multicomponent models. The aim of the present study was to test the factor structure of early EF as measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool version (BRIEF-P). BRIEF-P consists of five subscales and three broader indexes, hypothesized to tap into different subcomponents of EF. Parent ratings of EF from a nonreferred sample of children recruited from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (N = 1134; age range 37-47 months) were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Three theoretically derived models were assessed; the second-order three-factor model originally proposed by the BRIEF-P authors, a "true" first-order one-factor model and a second-order one-factor model. CFA fit statistics supported the original three-factor solution. However, the difference in fit was marginal between this model and the second-order one-factor model. A follow-up exploratory factor analysis (EFA) supported the existence of several factors underlying EF in early preschool years, with a considerable overlap with the five BRIEF-P subscales. Our results suggest that some differentiation in EF has taken place at age 3 years, which is reflected in behavior ratings. The internal consistency of the BRIEF-P five clinical subscales is supported. Subscale interrelations may, however, differ at this age from those observed in the preschool group as a whole.
authors.affiliation: a Division of Mental Health and Addiction , Oslo University Hospital , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Annette Holth
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Skogan
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Psychology , University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.|c Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Vestfold Hospital Trust , Tønsberg , Norway.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Egeland
authors.affiliation: a Division of Mental Health and Addiction , Oslo University Hospital , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Pål
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zeiner
authors.affiliation: a Division of Mental Health and Addiction , Oslo University Hospital , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Kristin Romvig
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Øvergaard
authors.affiliation: a Division of Mental Health and Addiction , Oslo University Hospital , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oerbeck
authors.affiliation: d Division of Mental Health , Norwegian Institute of Public Health , Oslo , Norway.|e Institute of Clinical Medicine , University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reichborn-Kjennerud
authors.affiliation: d Division of Mental Health , Norwegian Institute of Public Health , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aase
mesh_terms: D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D056344:Executive Function; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010290:Parents; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: BRIEF-P; Development; Executive function; Factor analysis; Preschool