Development And Validation Of The Brain Fag Propensity Scale
- Author:
David O. Igbokwe
;
Bolanle A. Ola
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Brain Fag Propensity, Factorial Validity, Nigerian
- From:ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry
2011;12(1):1-13
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Objective: Brain Fag Syndrome (BFS) is a psychiatric disorder associated with study
among African students. Among secondary school students, it affects two to four out of
every ten students. One of the consequences of this illness is early foreclosure of
education in affected students. However, clinical experience suggests that many students
have sub-threshold symptoms of brain fag and are at risk for developing brain fag
syndrome. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable psychometric instrument that
measures brain fag syndrome propensity. Methods: External and internal expert panels as
well as a patient focus group evaluated a large pool of potential item stems gathered from
the psychological and psychiatric literature. Potential scale items were then administered
to 250 students along with a set of validating questionnaires. Final item selection was
based upon rigorous empirical criteria and the psychometric properties of the final scale
were examined. Results: A final four dimensional 20-item scale, the Brain Fag Syndrome
Propensity Scale, has a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.795, split half reliability of 0.813 for the
part 1 (10 items) and 0.585 for the part 2 (10 items), and Spearman-Brown coefficient of
0.557. The intrinsic validity yielded a coefficient of 0.892. Conclusion: The current
results indicate the BFPS has an excellent internal consistency as well as good content
and concurrent validity and should have significant utility as a brief, valid measure of
propensity to develop brain fag syndrome or sub-threshold cases of BFS.
