The Psychometric Properties of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) in a College Student Population

• Other Authors: Coffman, Theodora Passinos (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Educational psychology
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-8961

Approximately 4.4% of the adult population suffers from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Keesler et al., 2010). The identification of adults with ADHD can be difficult because the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; APA, 2013) were originally designed with children in mind. Identifying high achieving college students with ADHD has proven even more challenging due to masked academic difficulties until later in life. The specific population of adults in the college setting (college students) with ADHD are more likely to have protective factors such as higher cognitive abilities and previous academic success (DuPaul, Weyandt, O'Dell, & Varejao, 2009; Glutting, Youngstrom, & Watkins, 2005) than non-college ADHD adults. Nevertheless, they tend to fall significantly behind persons in college who do not suffer from ADHD (Barkley, Murphy, & Fischer, 2008; DuPaul et al., 2009; Heiligenstein, Guenther, Levy, Savino, & Fulwiler, 1999) and those with ADHD have a higher dropout rate than those without ADHD. ADHD has been linked to deficits in Executive Functioning (EF) in the literature (Cortease et al., 2005; Kassubek, Juengling, Ecker, & Landwehrmeyer, 2005; Koechlin, Corrado, Pietrini, & Grafman, 2000; Lewis, Dove, Robbins, Baker, & Owens, 2004; Monchi, Petrides, Strafella, Worsley, & Doyon, 2006; Niendam et al., 2012; Stuss & Alexander, 2000; Stuss, Alexander, Floden, Binns, Levin, & McIntosh, 2002). There is also evidence that EF abilities are not fully developed until around the third decade. Both established theory and fMRI imaging support the idea of delayed development (Barkley, 2012). Therefore, it is hypothesized that there will be a different set of characteristics for the college student population (average age 18-30) than an adult aged 30 or above. Given that there are some weaknesses in traditional EF testing (e.g., EF and general intellectual level is somewhat correlated) (Salthouse; 1996, 2005), the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) was specifically designed to evaluate EF deficits in adult individuals with ADHD. This is a new self-report measure identifying functional impairment in EF abilities with five factors. The goal of this study was to provide further empirical support regarding the validity and reliability of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS; Barkley, 2011b). In addition to the five factors, this scale contains an ADHD-EF Index, which provides an estimate of the likelihood of a diagnosis of adult ADHD (Barkley, 2012b). To date, this scale has not been investigated for evidence of validity and reliability from an independent researcher. Additionally, college students have not yet been studied (Barkley, 2011b). Therefore, this study evaluated (a) differences in self- and other-reports on the BDEFS, (b) the relationship between the BDEFS scales and cognitive functioning, (c) the ability of the BDEFS to predict ADHD, and (d) the factor structure of the BDEFS with a college student population. In this study BDEFS self-reports were collected from 596 college students (with and without a diagnosis of ADHD). The mean age of the participants was 20.5 years of age and most demographic variables were consistent with the statistics published for the university where the data were collected. To evaluate the differences in the self-report form and the other-informant form of the BDEFS, a Pearson Correlation was conducted comparing self- and other-reports, using only the sample of students with a diagnosis of ADHD. It was determined that there were statically significant correlations between the BDEFS-self form and the BDEFS-other form. These correlations were also statistically significantly different from the correlations that Barkley found in his original study. In addition, there were statistically significant differences in the means between the self- and other-informant forms, indicating that college students in general perceive their symptoms differently, and generally more impaired, than those around them. Another Pearson Correlation was conducted to determine if the general intelligence of the participant was related to any of the five factors of the BDEFS. Results indicated that there was an inverse relationship between intellectual ability and time management skills. As time management skills decreased, intelligence increased. When investigating the ADHD-EF index, which is a scale used to predict adult ADHD, a discriminate analysis was conducted. It was determined that a different set of items was needed to distinguish college students with and without ADHD than was needed to distinguish these groups in the adult population. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to see if the same factor structure of the BDEFS held true for the population of college students. Results indicated a moderate to good fit for the factor structure in the college student population. While additional support of validity is needed, the current study did provide additional evidence for the validity and reliability of the BDEFS. A replication of the newly identified items of the ADHD-EF Index that are most predictive of adults with ADHD in the college student population is needed to provide additional support. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Summer Semester, 2014. === May 6, 2014. === Barkley, Executive Functioning === Includes bibliographical references. === Frances Prevatt, Professor Directing Dissertation; Lee Stepina, University Representative; Beth Phillips, Committee Member; Debra Osborn, Committee Member.