Abstract:
Executive functioning is one of the neurocognitive domains that can be affected
following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI; Moore et al., 2016; Allen & Gfeller, 2011). The
purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between a measure of executive
functioning, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition, Self-Report
Version (BRIEF-2 SR; Gioia, Isquith, Guy, & Kenworthy, 2015), and a measure of cognitive
skills and symptomology in mTBI, the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive
Testing (ImPACT; Lovell, Collins, Podell, Powell, & Maroon, 2000). Participants were 44
middle and high school student athletes (20 females and 24 males, ages 11 to 17) who completed
the BRIEF-2 SR and ImPACT. Results of multiple regressions indicated the BRIEF-2 SR and
ImPACT were not statistically significantly related to one another. Results of the canonical
correlations showed some relationship between the BRIEF-2 and ImPACT, though not with the
hypothesized variables. Analyses with the validity scales on both measures showed the BRIEF-2
SR validity scales (Inconsistency and Negativity) were not related to the ImPACT Validity
Index. This suggests that based on the current study, the ImPACT does not appear sensitive to
fully account for self-reported executive functioning in this group of participants. More research
is needed to determine the relationship between executive functioning and this widely used
measure of cognitive status.
