Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Sep;13(3):254-74.
doi: 10.1007/s10567-010-0071-2.

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  1 , Roy Otten, Rutger C M E Engels, Ad A Vermulst, Jan M A M Janssens
Affiliations
Review

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 et al. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2010 Sep.

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

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. - PubMed
    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. - PubMed
    1. Altman DG, Bland MJ. Diagnostic tests 2: Predictive values. British Medical Journal. 1994;309:102. - PMC - PubMed
    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. - PubMed