BRIEF-A validation study in moderate to severe TBI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of the validity of the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function for Adults (BRIEF-A) in moderate to severe traumatic brain injury
IRAS ID
294020
Contact name
Carl Krynicki
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
The BRIEF-A is a self- and informant-rated measure of neurobehavioural and neurocognitive difficulties in relation to executive functioning. The BRIEF-A has been validated against a range of clinical populations although the Traumatic Brain Injury (TB) sample was predominantly mild TBI (MTBI) who would not be expected to experience difficulties associated with executive functioning, compared to those with moderate to severe TBI (Frencham, Fox, Maybery, & T., 2005). Moreover, patients experiencing psychological distress with no brain injury have also been shown to have elevated BRIEF-A scores (Shwartz , Roper, Arentsen , Crouse , & Adler, 2020). Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore the validity of the BRIEF-A in a more severe TBI sample by exploring which items of the BRIEF-A discriminate TBI related executive problems in moderate to severe TBI from psychological distress in mild TBI patients.
In order to achieve this, patients with mild TBI (n = 30) will be compared with patients with moderate – severe TBI (n = 30). Following consent, each patient will be asked to complete six validated assessments examining neurobehavioural and neurocognitive distress associated with executive function, depression, anxiety, trauma, response validity (over-reporting and underperformance), memory and frontal behaviour syndromes, which will be administered by either the assistant psychologist, clinician working with the patient or chief investigator. These measures can also be administered remotely if required. An informant will also be asked to complete a measure to assess the patients executive functioning. For moderate – severe TBI patients, a member of the neurosurgical team will be asked to complete a scoring schedule (which has been developed specifically for this project and based on the subdomains of executive functioning proposed by Suchy (2016) that will assess the presence anatomical markers of frontal lobe brain damage on structural imaging as well as clinical presentation. This will help determine whether any specific BRIEF-A items are related to neuroanatomical markers of frontal lobe injury.
REC name
London - Stanmore Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/LO/0618
Date of REC Opinion
13 Oct 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion