ABSTRACT Background The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function‐Adults version (BRIEF‐A) consists of two forms, self‐report and informant‐report. Each form encompasses nine scales to assess executive functions. The study aimed to examine the unidimensionality of each scale and item‐level agreement between the two forms in people with schizophrenia. Methods A total of 197 people with schizophrenia and 194 caregivers were recruited from a single psychiatric center. Among the people with schizophrenia, 44.2% were male, with a mean age of 44.0 years. As for the caregivers who completed the informant‐report form, 27.8% were male, with a mean age of 60.4 years. The unidimensionality of each BRIEF‐A scale was assessed using Rasch analysis. Weighted kappa and percentage of agreement were used to examine the item‐level agreement between the two forms. Results The infit and outfit mean squares of all items on each scale of the self‐report form were 0.65–1.48. Except for the Plan/Organize scale, the items of the other eight scales in the informant‐report form met the standards for infit and outfit mean squares (0.69–1.44). Principal component analysis of the standardized residuals of the nine scales were 1.4–1.8 and 1.5–2.1 for the self‐report and informant‐report forms, respectively. Weighted kappa and percentage of agreement between the two forms were 0.02–0.33 and 36.8%–63.4% respectively. Conclusion The BRIEF‐A has acceptable unidimensionality for people with schizophrenia. The slight to fair item‐level agreement between the two forms necessitates cautious explanation of results and incorporation of multiple informants' perspectives to ensure a more thorough and accurate assessment of executive functions.
Chiu et al. (Mon,) studied this question.