Open AccessBarkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS): Validation in a Large Multisite College Sample
Author(s) -
Jaclyn M. Kamradt,
Molly A. Nikolas,
G. Leonard Burns,
Annie A. Garner,
Matthew A. Jarrett,
Aaron M. Luebbe,
Stephen P. Becker
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
assessment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.59
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1552-3489
pISSN - 1073-1911
DOI - 10.1177/1073191119869823
Subject(s) - psychology , structural equation modeling , measurement invariance , executive functions , clinical psychology , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , confirmatory factor analysis , scale (ratio) , developmental psychology , sample (material) , cognition , psychiatry , statistics , physics , mathematics , chemistry , chromatography , quantum mechanics
Despite the importance of daily life executive functioning (EF) for college students' success, few measures exist that have been validated in college students specifically. This study examined the factor structure of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) in college students. Participants were 1,311 students (ages 18-28 years, 65% female) from five universities in the United States. Additionally, the study examined invariance across sex, age, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Exploratory structural equation modeling provided strong support for the BDEFS five-factor structure though some items had high cross-loadings on multiple factors. Findings generally supported invariance across sex and age; however, loadings, thresholds, and factor means differed based on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Stronger support for invariance across sex emerged for a reduced item version that eliminated cross-loading items. Overall, findings provide support for the validity and utility of the BDEFS in college students.