Validity of the Korean Version of the Brief Irritability Test in Psychiatric Patients

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Brief Irritability Test (BITe) and adapt it for Korean patients with psychiatric disorders. Methods: A total of 296 patients at the Department of Psychiatry of Hanyang University Guri Hospital completed the BITe, Korean Beck Depression Inventory-II, Korean Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Korean version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11. Construct validity was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliability testing included assessments of internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) and item-total correlations. Convergent validity was examined through correlational analyses with variables such as anxiety, depression, anger, and impulsivity. Results: First, the scale had good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s α of 0.88. Second, EFA indicated a single dimensionality of the BITe, and CFA demonstrated a reasonable fit for the single-factor model (comparative fit index=0.97, Tucker-Lewis Index=0.95, normed fit index=0.97, goodness-of-fit index=0.96, root mean square error of approximation=0.12, standardized root mean residual= 0.03). Finally, the convergent validity analysis revealed a significant positive correlation with depression, anxiety, and anger, except for anger control, which is a sub-variable of anger. Conclusion: The results showed that the Korean version of the BITe had good psychometric properties, and might serve as a valuable tool for assessing irritability in Korean patients with psychiatric disorders.