Psychometric properties of the parent and teacher versions of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire for 4- to 12-year-olds: a review

Lisanne L Stone, Roy Otten, Rutger C M E Engels, Ad A Vermulst, Jan M A M Janssens, Lisanne L Stone, Roy Otten, Rutger C M E Engels, Ad A Vermulst, Jan M A M Janssens

Abstract

Since its development, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been widely used in both research and practice. The SDQ screens for positive and negative psychological attributes. This review aims to provide an overview of the psychometric properties of the SDQ for 4- to 12-year-olds. Results from 48 studies (N = 131,223) on reliability and validity of the parent and teacher SDQ are summarized quantitatively and descriptively. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and inter-rater agreement are satisfactory for the parent and teacher versions. At subscale level, the reliability of the teacher version seemed stronger compared to that of the parent version. Concerning validity, 15 out of 18 studies confirmed the five-factor structure. Correlations with other measures of psychopathology as well as the screening ability of the SDQ are sufficient. This review shows that the psychometric properties of the SDQ are strong, particularly for the teacher version. For practice, this implies that the use of the SDQ as a screening instrument should be continued. Longitudinal research studies should investigate predictive validity. For both practice and research, we emphasize the use of a multi-informant approach.

References

    1. Abikoff H, Courtney M, Pelham WE, Koplewicz HS. Teachers’ rating of disruptive behaviors: The influence of halo effects. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 1993;21:519–533.
    1. Achenbach TM. Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist 4–18 and 1991 profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry; 1991.
    1. Achenbach T, McConaughy S, Howell CT. Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin. 1987;101:213–232.
    1. Altman DG, Bland MJ. Diagnostic tests 2: Predictive values. British Medical Journal. 1994;309:102.
    1. *Alyahri A, Goodman R. Validation of the Arabic Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the development and well-being assessment. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 2006;12(Suppl. 2):138–146.
    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.
    1. *Becker A, Steinhausen HC, Baldursson G, Dalsgaard S, Lorenzo MJ, Ralston SJ, et al. Psychopathological screening of children with ADHD: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a pan-European study. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2006;15:56–62.
    1. *Becker A, Woerner W, Hasselhorn M, Banaschewski T, Rothenberger A. Validation of the parent and teacher SDQ in a clinical sample. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2004;13(Suppl. 2):11–16.
    1. Berry JW, Poortinga YH, Segall MH, Dasen PR. Cross-cultural psychology; Research and applications. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2002.
    1. *Bourdon KH, Goodman R, Rae D, Simpson G, Koretz DS. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: U.S. normative data and psychometric properties. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2005;44:557–564.
    1. Campbell DT, Fiske DW. Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin. 1959;56:81–105.
    1. Canino G, Shrout P, Rubio-Stipec M, Bird H, Bravo M, Ramirez R, et al. The DSM-IV rates of child and adolescent disorders in Puerto Rico. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2004;61:85–93.
    1. Carr A. Family therapy: Concepts, process and practice. In: Carr A, editor. The handbook of child and adolescent clinical psychology. A contextual approach. 2. London: Routledge; 2000. pp. 93–94.
    1. Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Newman DL, Silva PA. Behavioral observations at age 3 years predict adult psychiatric disorders: Longitudinal evidence from a birth cohort. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1996;53:1033–1039.
    1. Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. revised edition. New York: Academic Press; 1977.
    1. Coie JD, Dodge KA, Coppotelli H. Dimensions and types of social status: A cross-age perspective. Developmental Psychology. 1982;18(4):557–570.
    1. Coie JD, Koeppl GK. Adapting intervention to the problems of aggressive and disruptive rejected children. In: Asher SR, Coie JD, editors. Peer rejection in childhood. New York: Cambridge University Press; 1990. pp. 309–337.
    1. Corrigan P. How stigma interferes with mental health care. American Psychologist. 2004;59(7):614–625.
    1. Costello EJ, Egger HL, Angold A. 10-Year research update review: The epidemiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders: I. Methods and public health burden. Journal of the American Academy Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2005;44:972–986.
    1. Costello EJ, Mustillo S, Erkanli A, Keeler G, Angold A. Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2003;60:837–844.
    1. Crick NR. The role of overt aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behavior in the prediction of children’s future social adjustment. Child Development. 1996;67:2317–2327.
    1. Cronbach LJ. Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika. 1951;53:63–70.
    1. *Dickey WC, Blumberg SJ. Revisiting the Factor Structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: United States, 2001. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2004;43:1159–1167.
    1. *Du, Y., Kou, J., & Coghill, D. (2008). The validity, reliability and normative scores of the parent, teacher and self report versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in China. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2, .
    1. Du Y, Su L, Li X. Usage of Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology. 1995;1:44–45.
    1. DuPaul GJ, Power TJ, Anastopoulos AD, et al. ADHD Rating Scale-IV: Checklists, norms, and clinical interpretation. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 1998.
    1. Edelbrock C, Costello AJ, Dulcan MK, Kalas R, Calabro-Conover N. Age differences in the reliability of the psychiatric interview of the child. Child Development. 1985;56:265–275.
    1. Ederer EM. Mental health problems in young children: Self-reports and significant others as informants. Psychology Science. 2004;46:123–140.
    1. *Edmunds S, Garratt A, Haines L, Blair M. Child Health Assessment at School Entry (CHASE) project: Evaluation in 10 London primary schools. Child: Care, Health and Development. 2005;31:143–154.
    1. Egger HL, Angold A. Common emotional and behavioral disorders in preschool children: Presentation, nosology, and epidemiology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2006;47:313–337.
    1. Fallon T, Schwab-Stone M. Determinants of reliability in psychiatric survey of children aged 6–12. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1994;35:1391–1408.
    1. Field AP. Meta-analysis of correlation coefficients: A Monte Carlo comparison of fixed- and random- effects methods. Psychological Methods. 2001;6(2):161–180.
    1. Ford T, Goodman R, Meltzer H. The British child and adolescent mental health survey 1999: The prevalence of DSM-IV disorders. Journal of the American Academy Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2003;42:1203–1211.
    1. *Glazebrook C, Hollis C, Heussler H, Goodman R, Coates L. Detecting emotional and behavioural problems in paediatric clinics. Child: Care, Health and Development. 2002;29:141–149.
    1. Goodman R. A modified version of the Rutter parent questionnaire including items on children’s strengths: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1994;35:1483–1494.
    1. *Goodman R. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1997;38:581–586.
    1. *Goodman R. The extended version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a guide to child psychiatric caseness and consequent burden. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1999;40:791–799.
    1. *Goodman R. Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2001;40:1337–1345.
    1. *Goodman R, Ford T, Corbin T, Meltzer H. Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) multi-informant algorithm to screen looked-after children for psychiatric disorders. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2004;13:25–31.
    1. Goodman R, Ford T, Richards H, Gatward R, Meltzer H. The development and well-being assessment: Description and initial validation of an integrated assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2000;41:645–655.
    1. *Goodman R, Ford T, Simmons H, Gatward R, Meltzer H. Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to screen for child psychiatric disorders in a community sample. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2000;177:534–539.
    1. *Goodman R, Iervolino AC, Collishaw S, Pickles A, Maughan B. Seemingly minor changes to a questionnaire can make a big difference to mean scores: A cautionary tale. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2007;42:322–327.
    1. *Goodman R, Renfrew D, Mullick M. Predicting type of psychiatric disorder from Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores in child mental health clinics in London and Dhaka. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2000;9:129–134.
    1. *Goodman R, Scott S. Comparing the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist: Is small beautiful? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 1999;27:17–24.
    1. Gowers SG, Harrington RC, Whitton A, Lelliott P, Beevor A, Wing J, Jezzard R. Brief scale for measuring the outcomes of emotional and behavioural disorders in children. Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) British Journal of Psychiatry. 1999;174:413–416.
    1. Harrington R, Rutter M, Fombonne E. Developmental pathways in depression: Multiple meanings, antecedents, and endpoints. Development and Psychopathology. 1996;8:601–616.
    1. Harter S. The Perceived Competence Scale for children. Child Development. 1982;53(1):87–97.
    1. *Hawes DJ, Dadds MR. Australian data and psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2004;38:644–651.
    1. Hay DF. Prosocial development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1994;35:29–71.
    1. *Hill CR, Hughes JN. An examination of the convergent and discriminant validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. School Psychology Quarterly. 2007;22:380–406.
    1. Holland D, Dadds M. The diagnostic schedule for children, adolescents and parents. Brisbane: Griffith University Press; 1995.
    1. *Hysing M, Elgen I, Gillberg C, Atle Lie S, Lundervold AJ. Chronic physical illness and mental health in children. Results from a large-scale population study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2007;48:785–792.
    1. Jackson DA, King AR. Gender differences in the effects of oppositional behavior on teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 2004;32(2):215–224.
    1. *Janssens A, Deboutte D. Screening for psychopathology in child welfare: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) compared with the Achenbach System of Empircally Based Assessment (ASEBA) European Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2009;18:691–700.
    1. Kataoka SH, Zang L, Wells KB. Unmet need for mental health care among U.S. children: Variation by ethnicity and insurance status. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2002;159:1548–1555.
    1. *Kashala E, Elgen I, Sommerfelt K, Tylleskar T. Teacher ratings of mental health among school children in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2005;14:208–215.
    1. *Klasen H, Woerner W, Wolke D, Meyer R, Overmeyer S, Kaschnitz W, et al. Comparing the German versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-Deu) and the Child Behavior Checklist. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2000;9:217–276.
    1. *Kaptein S, Jansen DEMC, Vogels AGC, Reijneveld SA. Mental health problems in children with intellectual disability: Use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 2008;52:125–131.
    1. *Koskelainen M, Sourander A, Kaljonen A. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire among Finnish school-aged children and adolescents. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2001;9:277–284.
    1. Kovacs M. Rating scales to assess depression in school-aged children. Acta Paedopsychiatrica. 1981;46:305–315.
    1. Ladd GW, Mars KT. Reliability and validity of preschoolers’ perceptions of peer behavior. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. 1986;15:16–25.
    1. Ladd GW, Profilet SM. The Child Behavior Scale: A teacher report-measure of young children’s aggressive, withdrawn and prosocial behaviors. Developmental Psychology. 1996;32(6):1008–1024.
    1. *Lai, K. Y. C, Luk, E. S. L., Leung, P. W. L., Wong, A. S. Y., Law, L., & Ho, K. (2009). Validation of the Chinese version of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire in Hong Kong. Social Psychiatry and Epidemiology. doi:10.1007/s00127-009-0152-z.
    1. Loeber R, Green SM, Lahey BB, Stouthamer-Loeber M. Differences and similarities between children, mothers and teachers as informants on disruptive child behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 1991;19(1):75–95.
    1. *Malmberg M, Rydell A-M, Smedje H. Validity of the Swedish version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionaire (SDQ-Swe) Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. 2003;57:357–363.
    1. *Mathai, J., Anderson, P., & Bourne, A. (2002). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a screening measure prior to admission to a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 1, .
    1. *Mathai J, Anderson P, Bourne A. Comparing psychiatric diagnoses generated by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire with diagnoses made by clinicians. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2004;38:639–643.
    1. *Matsuishi T, Nagano M, Araki Y, Tanaka Y, Iwasaki M, Yamashita Y, et al. Scale properties of the Japanese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): A study of infant and school children in community samples. Brain and Development. 2008;30:410–415.
    1. Measelle JR, Ablow JC, Cowan PA, Cowan CP. Assessing young children’s views of their academic, social, and emotional lives: An evaluation of the self-perception scales of the Berkeley Puppet Interview. Child Development. 1998;69:1556–1576.
    1. *Mellor D. Furthering the use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: Reliability with younger child respondents. Psychological Assessment. 2004;16:396–401.
    1. *Mellor D, Stokes M. The factor structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. 2007;23:105–112.
    1. Meltzer H, Gatward R, Goodman R, Ford T. Mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain. International Review of Psychiatry. 2003;15:185–187.
    1. *Mullick MSI, Goodman R. Questionnaire screening for mental health problems in Bangladeshi children: A preliminary study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2001;36:94–99.
    1. *Muris P, Meesters C, Van den Berg F. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): Further evidence for its reliability and validity in a community sample of Dutch children and adolescents. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2003;12:1–8.
    1. Nisbett RE, Wilson TD. The halo effect: Evidence for unconscious alteration of judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1977;35:250–256.
    1. *Palmieri PA, Smith GC. Examining the structural validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in a U.S. sample of custodial grandmothers. Psychological Assessment. 2007;19:189–198.
    1. *Parkes J, White-Koning M, Dickinson HO, Thyen U, Arnaud C, Beckung E, et al. Psychological problems in children with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional European study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2008;49:405–413.
    1. *Perren S, Stadelmann S, Von Wyl A, Von Klitzing K. Pathways of behavioural and emotional symptoms in kindergarten children: What is the role of pro-social behaviour? European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2007;16:209–214.
    1. Reynolds CR, Richmond BO. What I think and feel: A revised measure of children’s manifest anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 1978;6:271–280.
    1. Rhee S, Furlong MJ, Turner JA, Harari I. Integrating strength-based perspectives in psychoeducational evaluations. California School Psychologist. 2001;6:5–17.
    1. Riley AW, Forrest CB, Starfield B, Rebok GW, Robertson JA, Green BF. The parent report form of the CHIP-Child Edition: Reliability and validity. Medical Care. 2004;42:210–220.
    1. Romano E, Tremblay RE, Boulerice B, Swisher R. Multilevel correlates of childhood physical aggression and prosocial behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 2005;33(5):565–578.
    1. *Rothenberger A, Becker A, Erhart M, Wille N, Ravens-Sieberer U, the BELLA study group Psychometric properties of the parent Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in the general population of German children and adolescents: Results of the BELLA study. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2008;17(Suppl. 1):99–105.
    1. Rubin KH, Coplan RJ. Peer relationships in childhood. In: Bornstein M, Lamb M, editors. Developmental psychology: An advanced textbook. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum; 1992. pp. 519–578.
    1. Rubin KH, Coplan RJ, Chen X, Buskirk A, Wojslawowicz J. Peer relationships in childhood. In: Bornstein M, Lamb M, editors. Developmental science: An advanced textbook. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum; 2005. pp. 469–512.
    1. Rutter M. A children’s behaviour questionnaire for completion by teachers: Preliminary findings. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1967;8:1–11.
    1. Rydell M, Hagekull B, Bohlin G. Measurement of two social competence aspects in middle childhood. Developmental Psychology. 1997;33(5):824–833.
    1. *Samad L, Hollis C, Prince M, Goodman R. Child and adolescent psychopathology in a developing country: Testing the validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Urdu version) International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research. 2005;13:158–166.
    1. *Sanne B, Torsheim T, Heiervang E, Stormark KM. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in the Bergen child study: A conceptually and methodically motivated structural analysis. Psychological Assessment. 2009;21(3):352–364.
    1. Scholte EM, Van der Ploeg JD. ADHD Vragenlijst (ADHD Questionnaire) Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger; 1998.
    1. *Sharp C, Croudace TJ, Goodyer IM, Amtmann D. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: Predictive validity of parent and teacher ratings for help- seeking behaviour over one year. Educational and Child Psychology. 2005;22:28–44.
    1. *Shojaei, T., Wazana, A., Pitrou, I., & Kovess, V. (2008). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: Validation study in French school-aged children and cross-cultural comparisons. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. doi:10.1007/s00127-008-0489-8.
    1. *Smedje H, Broman J-E, Hetta J, von Knorring A-L. Psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the “Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire”. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1999;8:63–70.
    1. Streiner DL, Norman GR. Health measurements scales. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press; 1989.
    1. Swanson JM. School-based assessments and interventions for ADD children. Irvine, CA: KC; 1992.
    1. Swanson, J., Schuck, S., Mann, M., Carlson, C., Hartman, K., Sergeant, J., et al. (2001). Categorical and dimensional definitions and evaluations of symptoms of ADHD: The SNAP and the SWAN Ratings Scales [Draft] (2005) Available at: . Accessed May 28th, 2010.
    1. *Syed EU, Hussein SA, Azam SI, Khan AG. Comparison of Urdu version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) amongst primary school children in Karachi. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. 2009;9:375–379.
    1. Tremblay RE, Vitaro F, Gagnon C, Piché C, Royer N. A prosocial scale for the Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire: Concurrent and predictive correlates. International Journal of Behavioral Development. 1992;15:227–245.
    1. Valla JP, Bergeron L, Bérubé H, Gaudet N, St-Georges M. A structured pictorial questionnaire to assess DSM-III-R-based diagnoses in children (6–11 years): Development, validity and reliability. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 1994;22:403–423.
    1. *Van Leeuwen K, Meerschaert T, Bosmans G, De Medts L, Braet C. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a community sample of young children in Flanders. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. 2006;22:189–197.
    1. *Van Roy B, Veenstra M, Clench-Aas J. Construct validity of the five-factor Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in pre-, early, and late adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2008;49:1304–1312.
    1. *Vogels. A. G. C., Crone, M. R., Hoekstra, F., & Reijneveld, S. A. (2009). Comparing three short questionnaires to detect psychosocial dysfunction among primary school children: a randomized method. BMC Public Health, 9. doi:101.1186/1471-2458-9-489.
    1. Weir K, Duveen G. Further development and validation of the prosocial behavior questionnaire for use with teachers. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1981;22:357–374.
    1. *Widenfelt BM, van Goedhart AW, Treffers PDA, Goodman R. Dutch version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2003;12:281–289.
    1. World Health Organization . International classification of diseases 10th edition: Classification of mental and behavioural disorders. Geneva: WHO; 1992.
    1. Wragg EC. An introduction to classroom observation. London: Routledge; 1994.
    1. *Zwirs BW, Burger H, Schulpen TW, Buitelaar JK. Developing a brief cross-culturally validated screening tool for externalizing disorders in children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2008;47:309–316.
    1. Zwirs BW, Burger H, Schulpen TW, Wiznitzer M, Fedder H, Buitelaar JK. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children of different ethnic origin. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 2007;35:556–566.

Source: PubMed

Sponsorzy i współpracownicy

Warunki medyczne

Interwencje lekowe

3
Subskrybuj