Comparison of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function in a Japanese Sample and the Original American Sample

Executive dysfunction (ED) frequently occurs in children with traumatic brain injury, but it is difficult to diagnose in its early stages or in childhood. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) published in the USA is a widely used measure of ED in children. In Japan, there are few tools for the comprehensive assessment of child ED, and the Japanese translation of the BRIEF may be helpful in this regard. However, very limited data are available on use of the Japanese translation. Method: This study compared BRIEF data obtained for a Japanese translation sample with those of the original sample. The Parent Form sample in Japanese was completed by 329 parents for 136 boys and 193 girls aged 6-18 years. The Teacher Form sample was completed by 323 teachers for 128 boys and 195 girls. Independent t-tests were used to compare the findings for the Japanese sample with the normative sample for each of the scales. Results: A series of t-tests revealed that most of the Japanese sample had a significantly lower score than the normative sample on the Global Executive Composite scale. We found significant differences in BRIEF scores between the original and Japanese samples. Conclusions: There could be several reasons for the differences between samples, including the cultural aspect that Japanese people tend to have less positive self-evaluations. Our findings suggest that the BRIEF should be standardized by adjusting for the cultural context.