Executive functions as self-reported on the BRIEF scales in adolescents and adults with and without a history of institutionalized rearing in Russia

Abstract

The Russian Federation is a country that, due to a shortage of timely family legislation, still has institutionalized children’s homes, such as orphanages and baby homes. Although family legislation is changing worldwide, with foster care becoming more common, understanding the effects of institutionalized care on individuals remains important. Notably, based on previous research, such individuals are vulnerable to deficits in executive functioning (EF). Yet Russia lacks reliable assessment instruments to evaluate EF, hindering research on EF development. The aims of this study were twofold: a) to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF 2) self-report form in a Russian sample; and b) to compare EF in two groups: adolescents and adults with and without a history of institutionalized care in Russia. We translated the BRIEF 2 into Russian and investigated its factor structure in participants aged 15–38 (n = 486). The Russian version showed adequate psychometric properties. Then, working with participants without self-reported ADHD (n = 402), we compared EF in adolescents and adults raised in institutional care versus those raised in biological families. The results revealed that the impact of institutionalization on EF differed in males and females, which contradicted, at least partially, previously reported findings. For males, we observed small overall effects of institutionalization on EF and small to medium negative effects in those with low SES. In females, we observed an unexpected positive effect of institutionalization on EF, especially in those with high SES. Additional research on gender attitudes in institutional care facilities is required to appraise these findings further.