Examining the Factor Structure and Incremental Validity of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale -...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale - Short Form (BDEFS-SF) assesses executive functioning deficits.
• Theoretical models propose executive dysfunction as a hierarchical construct with five domain-specific factors.
• Previous research supported a correlated five-factor model, but hierarchical and bifactor models remained untested.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the tenability of one-factor, correlated five-factor, hierarchical, and bifactor models for the BDEFS-SF.
• To evaluate the construct replicability and factor determinancy of domain-specific factors within the BDEFS-SF.
• To examine the BDEFS-SF's general factor's influence on criterion variables like executive attention and health anxiety.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis was employed with a sample of 1,120 community adults.
• Four theoretically relevant models of the BDEFS-SF were compared: one-factor, correlated five-factor, hierarchical, and bifactor.
• The variance accounted for by the general factor and domain-specific factors in BDEFS-SF scores and criterion variables was analyzed.

Main Results:

• The bifactor model demonstrated the best fit to the data.
• A substantial majority of the variance in BDEFS-SF scores was attributed to the general factor.
• None of the domain-specific factors showed adequate construct replicability or factor determinancy; they uniquely explained minimal variance in criterion variables.

Conclusions:

• The BDEFS-SF is characterized by a dominant general factor, overshadowing domain-specific influences.
• Independent use of the BDEFS-SF's domain-specific factors is not recommended due to lack of construct replicability and factor determinancy.
• The findings challenge the utility of the BDEFS-SF's subscales for measuring distinct executive functioning facets.