Validation of the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Adult Version (BRIEF-A) in the obese with and without binge eating disorder

•The obese report more executive function difficulties than a normative sample.•Binge eating disorder is associated with more executive function difficulties.•The BRIEF-A demonstrates good reliability but mixed validity in an obese sample.•Executive function difficulties reported on the BRIEF-A are associated with affect.

Obesity and binge eating disorder (BED) are both associated with deficiencies in executive function. The Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Adult Version (BRIEF-A) is a self-report measure that assesses executive function. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the BRIEF-A in an obese population, with and without BED, and to explore the differences on the BRIEF-A in the obese, with and without BED, compared to normative sample. 98 obese participants (70 BED) completed the BRIEF-A, DASS-21 and several performance-based measures of executive function. 30 participants completed a repeat assessment two months later. There was evidence of good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, however evidence for construct and convergent validity was mixed. Additionally, it was found that obese individuals report significantly more executive function difficulties on the BRIEF-A than the normative sample. Further, obese with BED report more executive function difficulties than those without. This study shows some evidence of sound psychometric properties of the BRIEF-A in an obese sample, however more research is required to understand the nature of executive function being measured.