Psychometric validation of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX)

Psychol Assess. 2015 Mar;27(1):138-147. doi: 10.1037/a0038195. Epub 2015 Jan 19.

Abstract

This study reported on the validation of the psychometric properties, the factorability, validity, and sensitivity of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) in 3 clinical and nonclinical samples. A mixed sample of 997 participants--community (n = 663), psychiatric (depressed [n = 92] and anxious [n = 122]), and neurologically impaired (n = 120)--completed self-report questionnaires assessing executive dysfunction, depression, anxiety, stress, general self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life. Before analyses the data were randomly split into 2 subsets (A and B). Exploratory factor analysis performed on Subset A produced a 3-factor model (Factor 1: Inhibition, Factor 2: Volition, and Factor 3: Social Regulation) in which 15 of the original 20 items provided a revised factor structure that was superior to all other structures. A series of confirmatory factor analyses performed on Subset B confirmed that this revised factor structure was valid and reliable. The revised structure, labeled the DEX-R, was found to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing behavioral symptoms of dysexecutive functioning in mixed community, psychiatric, and neurological samples.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology
  • Brain Injuries, Traumatic / diagnosis*
  • Brain Injuries, Traumatic / psychology*
  • Depressive Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology*
  • Executive Function*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychometrics / statistics & numerical data*
  • Quality of Life / psychology
  • Reference Values
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Self Efficacy
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*
  • Young Adult