Strengths And Difficulties Questionnaire Self-report Research Articles

A study on the applicability of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire among low- and higher-educated adolescents.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire self-report (SDQ-SR) is a valid instrument for detection of emotional and behavioral problems. The aim of this study was to compare the psychometric properties of the SDQ-SR for low and higher educated adolescents, and to explore its suitability. We included 426 adolescents. We compared internal consistency for low-educated, i.e., at maximum pre-vocational secondary education, and higher educated adolescents and assessed whether the five-factor structure of the SDQ holds across educational levels. We also interviewed 24 low-educated adolescents, and 17 professionals. On most SDQ subscales the low-educated adolescents had more problematic mean scores than the higher educated adolescents. Findings on the invariance factor analyses were inconsistent, with some measures showing a bad fit of the five factor model, and this occurring relatively more for the low-educated adolescents. Professionals and adolescents reported that the SDQ included difficult wordings. Our findings imply that the scale structure of the SDQ-SR is slightly poorer for low educated adolescents. Given this caveat, psychometric properties of the SDQ-SR are generally sufficient for use, regardless of educational level.

Siblings of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus: Psychosocial health, coping

PurposeThe literature widely reported the psychosocial toll of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) on patients, though the family functioning of T1DM patients, particularly siblings, has traditionally obtained far less consideration. This study was framed to investigate the psychosocial adjustments of siblings of children with T1DM and to evaluate the frequencies and the perceived efficacy of coping strategies adopted by siblings. Design and methodsThis cross-sectional study included parents (n = 100) and siblings (n = 100) of children with T1DM. Parents completed the following questionnaires: Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ Family Impact Module, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), while siblings completed SDQ self-report and kidcope questionnaires. ResultsThirty-eight percent of siblings of children with T1DM reported significant emotional and behavioral problems related to HbA1c level, higher parenting stress, and worse family functioning (p < 0.05). Younger siblings considered social support and distraction the most effective coping strategies, while older siblings perceived adaptive coping as the most effective. Social support and problem-solving were found to be protective factors for better sibling adjustments; meanwhile, better family adjustments were related to social support and cognitive restructuring (p < 0.05). ConclusionsResults demonstrate that siblings of children with T1DM experienced psychosocial maladjustment. Sibling adjustments are family interrelated. Adaptive coping strategies may play a buffer role for siblings and family adjustment. Practice implicationsThe study highlights the need for comprehensive evaluations of family dynamics and sibling psychosocial functioning to provide appropriate family-centered care.

Spanish normative data of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a community-based sample of adolescents

Background/Objective: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire self-report (SDQ-S) has been extensively used to assess mental health problems among children and adolescents. However, previous research has identified substantial age and country variation on its psychometric properties. The aim of this study was three-fold: i) to evaluate internal structure and measurement invariance of the Spanish version of the SDQ; ii) to analyze age and gender-specific effects on the SDQ subscales; and iii) to provide Spanish normative data for the entire age range of adolescence. Method: Data were derived from two representative samples of adolescents aged 14 to 19 years old, selected by stratified random cluster sampling years (N = 3378). Results: The reliability of the Total difficulties score was satisfactory, but some subscales showed lower levels of internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original five-factor model. Finally, results revealed that SDQ scores were influenced by the gender and the age of participants; thus, the normative banding scores and cut-off values were provided accordingly. Conclusions: This study validates the Spanish SDQ-S for the entire age range of adolescence. However, more cross-country and cross-age research is needed to better understand the inconsistent findings on SDQ reliability.

Greek Validation of the Factor Structure and Longitudinal Measurement Invariance of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Self Report (SDQ-SR): Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling.

The study examined the factor structure and longitudinal measurement invariance over three time points (1-year apart) of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Self Report (SDQ-SR) for ratings provided by adolescents in Greece. It used exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) to achieve these two goals. At time point one, a total of 968 adolescents (males = 508, and females = 460) between 12 and 17.9 years completed the SDQ-SR. In relation to factor structure, ESEM tested the fit of one- to five-factor models. The findings were interpreted as indicating most support for the ESEM model with three factors (the factors being dysregulation, peer problems, and prosocial behaviour). This model showed support for configural invariance and full metric invariance across the three time points. Except for two thresholds, all other thresholds were also invariant across the three time points. Thus, there was good support for longitudinal measurement invariance. The implications of the findings for use of the SDQ-SR are discussed.

Is the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire applicable to lower educated adolescents?

Abstract Background The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire self-report (SDQ-SR) is a widely used instrument to identify emotional and behavioral problems by Preventive Child Healthcare (PCH). It is a valid instrument in more highly educated adolescents, however evidence regarding lower educated adolescents (vocational school) is lacking. The aim of this study was to compare the psychometric properties of the SDQ-SR when used with less well and more highly educated ('higher') adolescents, and to explore opinions of adolescents and PCH professionals regarding its suitability. Methods We included 426 adolescents (130 lower and 296 higher educated), who completed the SDQ-SR. We compared how the psychometric properties (i.e. internal consistency) applied to lower and higher educated adolescents. We assessed whether the five-factor structure of the SDQ is invariant across different educational levels. Moreover, we interviewed 24 adolescents from pre-vocational secondary education schools, and performed online focus group interviews with 17 PCH professionals. Results The internal consistencies (Cronbach's alphas) per SDQ scale were comparable for lower and higher educated adolescents. On most subscales the lower educated adolescents had higher mean scores than the higher educated adolescents. Findings on differences by educational level for the other psychometric properties, i.e. multi-group invariance and single group (CFA) analyses, were inconsistent, with some measures showing unequal factor loadings but others not. Although professionals and lower educated adolescents reported that the SDQ includes many outdated and difficult words, professionals nevertheless perceived the SDQ-SR as a valid instrument. Conclusions The psychometric properties of the SDQ-SR are sufficient for use among lower educated adolescents. However, for optimal implementation in PCH there is a need for improvement in the wording of the SDQ, as expressed by both professionals and adolescents. Key messages The psychometric properties of the SDQ are sufficient for use among lower educated adolescents. For optimal implementation the SDQ needs to be updated in more understandable language.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Self-Report: A Valid Instrument for the Identification of Emotional and Behavioral Problems

ObjectiveValidated questionnaires help community pediatric services to identify emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs). This study assesses the psychometric properties of the self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for the identification of EBPs in adolescents (13 to 14years old) and the added value of the SDQ parent-form version. MethodsWe obtained data on 500 adolescents (mean age 13.5 years) from community well-child services and schools. Adolescents completed the SDQ self-report and the Youth Self-Report (YSR). Parents completed the SDQ parent-form and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for their children. We assessed the internal consistency and validity using the YSR and CBCL as the criteria, and the degree to which the SDQ parent-form provides additional information by comparison with the self-report. ResultsThe internal consistency of the SDQ total score was good (Cronbach's alpha, 0.75). Sensitivity and specificity using the YSR as the criterion were 0.75 and 0.91, respectively. When the CBCL was adopted as the criterion, these validity indices were lower. The SDQ parent-form does not provide additional information by comparison with self-reporting only when the YSR score is used as the criterion (odds ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.14–1.65); however, it does do so when the CBCL is the criterion (odds ratio, 10.9; 95% confidence interval, 4.23–27.9). ConclusionsThe SDQ self-report is valid for the detection of EBPs in adolescents, and the SDQ parent-form provides additional information by comparison with the self-report. This indicates that it is useful to involve adolescents and their parents as informants for the identification of EBPs in adolescents.

Normative Data of the Self-Report Version of the German Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in an Epidemiological Setting.

This study served to establish German norms for the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire self-report (SDQ-S) by using data from a representative epidemiological sample from the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS study). Although the German version of the SDQ has been widely used and normative data for the parent version (SDQ-P) exist, no German norms for the self-report version have been reported, so that practitioners had to rely on the available British norms. In addition, we investigated whether sex- and age-specific norms are necessary. At the baseline of the KiGGS study, SDQ-S ratings were collected from n = 6,726 children and adolescents between 11 and 17 years (n = 3,440 boys und n = 3,286 girls). We assessed the internal consistency and age/sex effects of the SDQ-S. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the factor structure of the SDQ-S. Banding scores were developed to differentiate children and adolescents with levels of difficulties and categorized them as "normal," "borderline," and "abnormal." General as well as age- and sex-specific bandings were created for both total score and subscales of SDQ-S. In addition, the German norms of the SDQ-S were compared with those of the UK, Norway, and Thailand. The five-factor solution of the SDQ-S (including Emotional symptoms, Conduct problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, Peer problems, and Prosocial behavior) provided a satisfactory fit to the data. Moderate internal consistencies (Cronbach's α) were observed for the scales Emotional symptoms, Hyperactivity/Inattention, and Total difficulties score, whereas insufficient internal consistency was found for the scales Peer problems and Conduct problems. However, using McDonald's ω as a more appropriate measure of homogeneity, internal consistencies were found to be satisfactory for all subscales and for Total difficulties. Normative banding scores were established conservatively to avoid producing too many false positives in the category "abnormal." In line with previous research, girls showed more emotional problems but fewer Peer problems than boys. German normative bandings of SDQ-S were similar to the original British bandings and those of other countries. This study of the German SDQ-S in a large representative epidemiological sample presents evidence of partly moderate to good psychometric properties. It also supports the usefulness of SDQ-S as an effective and efficient instrument for child and adolescent mental health problems in Germany. German normative banding scores of SDQ-S established in this study were comparable with the original British norms as well as with those of other countries, so that SDQ-S can be recommended as a psychopathological broadband-screening tool.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) self-report: Factor structure of the self-report form in Latinx youth

ABSTRACTThe Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) self-report form is a brief 25-item measure that assesses the psychological adjustment of youth. Although widely utilized as a screening tool, a lack of consistent psychometric evidence undermines the SDQ’s utility as a sound diagnostic tool for all youth. This study focused on examining the psychometric evidence for the use of the SDQ with Latinx youth, the fastest-growing minority population in the United States and one of the most underserved. Three competing models were tested with a confirmatory factor approach in a sample of 771 sixth-grade English-speaking Latinx youth. Model fit was unsatisfactory in all three models, therefore an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on an additional sample of Latinx youth, N = 422. EFA results suggested a two-factor model. Overall, results suggest that there is not yet adequate psychometric evidence for use of the SDQ self-report with Latinx youth. Future directions for research and implications for practice are highlighted.

The relationship between a sense of security and psychological problems in adolescents living in boarding schools and youth-welfare institutions

The willingness to participate and a sense of security are important aspects to be fostered in the institutional care of adolescents. Although these aspects are increasingly being examined from the perspective of the affected adolescents, it has yet to be considered whether psychological problems can be attributed to their experiences with the above-mentioned aspects. A total of 216 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years answered an online questionnaire the sense of security in their institution and their perception of the institution. Their willingness to participate was also examined. Psychological symptoms were assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Self-Report (SDQ-S). There is a significant correlation between sense of security and the overall SDQ score, with prosocial behavior, and with the positive perception of the institution. In addition, sense of security had a significant influence on the SDQ factors, the positive perception of the institution, and the items on the willingness to participate of the adolescents. The subsequent t-tests also showed significant results. Among other things, it was shown that the factor problems of adolescents is related to sense of security. The results provide an initial indication that there is a link between sense of security and psychological symptoms as well as willingness to participate and perception of the institution. Especially problems of adolescents in dealing with peers must be taken into account.in the development of protective concepts to increase the sense of security and their willingness to participate.

Measuring adolescent mental health around the globe: psychometric properties of the self-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in South Africa, and comparison with UK, Australian and Chinese data.

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Self-Report (SDQ-S) in South African adolescents, and compared findings with data from the UK, Australia and China. A sample of 3451 South African adolescents in grade 8, the first year of secondary school (Mage = 13.7 years), completed the SDQ-S in Afrikaans, English or isiXhosa. Means, group differences and internal consistency were analysed using SPSS V22, and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using MPlus V7. In the South African sample, significant gender differences were found for four of the five sub-scale means and for total difficulties, but gender differences of alpha scores were negligible. The internal consistency for the total difficulties, prosocial behaviour and emotional symptoms sub-scales were fair. UK cut-off values for caseness (set to identify the top 10% of scores in a UK sample) led to a higher proportion of South African adolescents classified in the 'abnormal' range on emotional and peer difficulties and a lower proportion classified in the 'abnormal' range for hyperactivity. South African cut-offs were therefore generated. The cross-country comparison with UK, Australian and Chinese data showed that South African adolescent boys and girls had the highest mean scores on total difficulties as well as on the subscales of emotional symptoms and conduct problems. In contrast, South African boys and girls had the lowest mean scores for hyperactivity/inattention. The UK boys and girls had the highest mean scores for hyperactivity/inattention, while the Australian sample had the highest scores for prosocial behaviours. The Chinese boys had the highest peer problem mean scores and Chinese boys and girls had the lowest means on prosocial behaviours. Confirmatory factor analyses showed significant item loadings with loadings higher than 0.40 for the emotional and prosocial behaviour sub-scales on the five-factor model, but not for all relevant items on the other three domains. Findings support the potential usefulness of the SDQ-S in a South African setting, but suggest that the SDQ-S should not be used with UK cut-off values, and indicate the need for further validation and standardisation work in South African adolescents. We recommend that in-country cut-offs for 'caseness' should be used for clinical purposes in South Africa, that cross-country comparisons should be made with caution, and that further examination of naturalistic clusters and factors of the SDQ should be performed in culturally and contextually diverse settings.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) - Self-Report. An analysis of its structure in a multiethnic urban adolescent sample

The SDQ is currently one of the internationally most frequently used screening instruments for child and adolescent mental health purposes. However, its structure, cross-cultural equivalence, and its applicability in ethnic minority groups is still a matter of discussion. SDQ self-report data of 5,379 ethnic Norwegian and 865 ethnic minority adolescents with a variety of national origins was analysed by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Multi-group comparisons considering equal thresholds combined with more in-depth analyses on factor loadings, residuals, composite reliability, and average amount of variance explained by indicators of respective constructs were performed. CFA suggested a good fit of the five-factor model of the SDQ self-report in the subsample of ethnic Norwegian adolescents and an acceptable fit in ethnic minority subsamples without substantial differences between ethnic Norwegian SDQ data and data of Pakistani or those of 'other ethnic minority' adolescents. When assuming equal thresholds between response categories of the items as well as equal factor loadings the structure in the data significantly differed between ethnic Norwegian and both ethnic minority samples. Some factor loadings and some correlations between constructs significantly differed between ethnic Norwegian and both ethnic minority samples. The correlation coefficients between the hyperactivity factor and the conduct problems factor were too high in all three subsamples in order to establish distinct constructs. Composite reliability and average explained variance of the emotional symptoms factor were good in all samples, whereas they were low for some of the other factors. To some extent the theoretically proposed five-factor structure of the Norwegian version of the SDQ self-report was supported in 15- to 16-year-old adolescents. However, the results of more detailed analyses raise questions about the interpretation of some subscales. When applying this screening method to Norwegian adolescents, our results suggest that the use of the total difficulty score of the SDQ in screening youth should be preferred over the subscale scores.

Screening for psychopathology in child welfare: the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) compared with the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA)

Whilst children in child welfare suffer more psychopathology than their community peers, only a small percentage of them actually receive mental health care. Previous literature suggested that all children entering child welfare should be screened. This study evaluated whether the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) could be used for this purpose. The extended version of the SDQ and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) questionnaire were administered to parents and caregivers of 292 children in child welfare. Children older than 11 years also completed the SDQ self-report and the Youth Self Report (YSR). Furthermore, the child's history of service use was recorded and informants were asked if the actual care was sufficient. Inter-informant correlations for the scores from the SDQ and ASEBA were high and comparable or favoured the use of the SDQ (for parents and caregivers). Internal consistency was satisfactory to good. For all informants, high correlations were found between SDQ and ASEBA. Despite high scores on the SDQ, only 29% of the children had received mental health care. Service use was only correlated with the parent SDQ and the CBCL and TRF. Additional help, as requested by 21% of the parents and 37% of the caregivers, correlated moderately with the SDQ and ASEBA scores. Compared to the total difficulties score, the impact supplement is a better predictor of service use and the informant's request for additional help. This study illustrates that the Dutch version of the SDQ, similar to the English and German versions, has equal validity as the Dutch ASEBA for screening children. Caution is warranted when the SDQ is the only source of information for referrals to specialized care.

Construct validity of the five‐factor Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in pre‐, early, and late adolescence

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is designed to measure psychological adjustment in children and adolescents. Psychometric evaluations of the instrument have shown satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity, while factor analysis studies have shown mixed results across countries. In the present study, the construct validity of the five-factor SDQ is evaluated in a large community sample of Norwegian pre-, early, and late adolescents. The sample consisted of 26,269 children and adolescents (10-19 years) with valid answers on all 25 items of the SDQ self-report. Complete parent/proxy data of respective pre-adolescent children was available for 6,645 cases. A Lisrel approach to Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the five-factor model and the presence of a positive construal factor. In the sample of pre-adolescents and their parents/proxies, convergent and discriminant validity was evaluated by a CFA approach to multitrait-multimethods (MTMM). Fit statistics for the hypothesized five-factor model were satisfactory, but introducing correlated error terms for some of the items led to significant model improvement in all age groups. All factor loadings were higher than .30, except for item 11 (good friend). The loadings differed across age groups and differed markedly between the parent/proxy and self-report measures. The MTMM showed that the source of ratings made a difference on the validity of all subscale ratings, with self-reports discriminating more on ratings of emotional and peer problems, and parents/proxies discriminating more on hyperactivity symptoms. A positive construal factor was identified but had a modest effect compared with the original five traits. Results suggested an unclear construct and meaning of the Prosocial behaviour subscale. The results of the present study indicated support for the proposed five-factor structure of the SDQ (Goodman, 2001) across a wide age range (10-19years), including older adolescents and different informants. However, some improvements should be considered to improve internal reliability and conceptual clarity.

Self-reported strengths and difficulties in a community sample of Finnish adolescents.

The psychometric properties of the self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) among Finnish 13- to 17-year-old adolescents (n = 1,458) were studied. The results show that the psychometric properties of the Finnish SDQ self-report were adequate. The results of the correlation analysis confirmed the postulated structure of the SDQ self-report. The correlations of the items to their respective subscales ranged from moderate to high (r = 0.47-0.73). The internal consistency was acceptable on three and somewhat lower on two of the five subscales (alpha=0.53-0.71). In addition, the factor analysis sufficiently confirmed the postulated structure of the SDQ for girls and boys, except for the conduct problems scale of boys, which was fused with emotional symptoms and with hyperactivity. The means of the SDQ self-report total difficulties scores were very similar to those in a previous study in Great Britain. The results provide additional confirmation of the usefulness of the SDQ as a screening instrument in epidemiological research and clinical practice.

Comparing the German versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-Deu) and the Child Behavior Checklist.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief behavioural screening questionnaire that can be completed in about 5 minutes by the parents and teachers of 4-16 year olds. The scores of the English version correlate well with those of the considerably longer Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The present study compares the German versions of the questionnaires. Both SDQ and CBCL were completed by the parents of 273 children drawn from psychiatric clinics (N = 163) and from a community sample (N = 110). The children from the community sample also filled in the SDQ self-report and the Youth Self Report (YSR). The children from the clinic sample received an ICD-10 diagnosis if applicable. Scores from the parent and self-rated SDQ and CBCL/YSR were highly correlated and equally able to distinguish between the community and clinic samples, with the SDQ showing significantly better results regarding the total scores. They were also equally able to distinguish between disorders within the clinic sample, the only significant difference being that the SDQ was better able to differentiate between children with and without hyperactivity-inattention. The study shows that like the English originals, the SDQ-Deu and the German CBCL are equally valid for most clinical and research purposes.