Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) – parents

Abstract

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) – parent version – is a brief, widely used psychometric instrument designed to screen for psychological adjustment and psychopathology in children and adolescents aged 4 to 17. Developed by Robert Goodman and colleagues, the SDQ is highly valued in clinical practice, epidemiological research, and school settings due to its efficiency and ability to assess both positive attributes (strengths) and difficulties. The parent-report version captures the caregiver’s perspective on the child’s behavior, emotions, peer relationships, and prosocial attributes over the preceding six months.

The SDQ is distinguished by its inclusion of an optional impact supplement, which helps determine the chronicity, distress, and functional impairment caused by the identified difficulties, significantly increasing its utility in identifying potential child psychiatric caseness.

Keywords

SDQ, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, parent report, child psychopathology, emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, prosocial behavior, screening tool, behavioral assessment.

Authors

Goodman R, Meltzer H, Bailey V

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SDQ is to serve as a fast and effective screening tool for common mental health problems in children and adolescents. It is specifically designed to differentiate between children who exhibit typical levels of behavioral and emotional difficulties and those whose difficulties reach a clinical threshold, requiring further assessment or intervention.

Beyond clinical identification, the SDQ is extensively used in large-scale epidemiological studies to monitor the mental health status of populations and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. The parent version is crucial as it provides insight into the child’s functioning within the home environment and parental perception of impairment.

Construct

The SDQ measures 25 attributes, divided equally across five theoretically derived subscales, each containing five items. Four subscales measure difficulties, while one measures strengths.

The five core constructs measured are:

• Emotional Symptoms: Measures internalizing problems such as worries, unhappiness, and physical symptoms related to anxiety.
• Conduct Problems: Measures externalizing, rule-breaking behaviors such as lying, cheating, and fighting.
• Hyperactivity/Inattention: Measures restlessness, impulsivity, and difficulties with concentration.
• Peer Relationship Problems: Measures difficulties in social interactions, including being solitary, being picked on, or lacking close friendships.
• Prosocial Behaviour: Measures positive attributes such as kindness, helpfulness, and consideration for others’ feelings.

A Total Difficulties Score is derived by summing the scores from the first four subscales (Emotional Symptoms, Conduct Problems, Hyperactivity, and Peer Problems). Furthermore, the optional Impact Supplement assesses the degree to which difficulties interfere with home life, friendships, learning, and leisure, providing a measure of functional impairment.

Validity

The SDQ has demonstrated robust validity across numerous cross-cultural and clinical samples. Studies, including those by Goodman (1997, 1999), have shown strong criterion validity, demonstrating the scale’s effectiveness in identifying children who meet diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders (i.e., high sensitivity and specificity in predicting child psychiatric caseness when combined with the Impact Supplement).

The scale also exhibits good discriminant validity, successfully distinguishing children with different types of disorders (e.g., internalizing vs. externalizing problems). The concurrent validity is high, showing significant correlations with established, longer measures of child psychopathology, such as the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).

Reliability

The reliability of the SDQ parent version is generally considered satisfactory for a brief screening tool. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) for the Total Difficulties Score is typically high (often exceeding 0.80). However, the internal consistency for the five individual subscales can sometimes be moderate, reflecting their brevity (only five items each).

Test-retest reliability is also strong, indicating that scores remain stable over short periods in the absence of intervention. The inter-rater reliability between different SDQ versions (e.g., parent, teacher, self-report) is usually low to moderate, which is expected, as each informant observes the child in different contexts and environments.

Factor Analysis

Early factor analysis studies consistently supported the hypothesized five-factor structure (Emotional Symptoms, Conduct Problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, Peer Problems, and Prosocial Behavior) upon which the scoring system is based. This five-factor model remains the standard scoring approach for the SDQ.

However, later research, such as that by Goodman, Lamping, and Ploubidis (2010), suggested that in certain contexts, particularly for broader epidemiological or genetic studies, a two-factor model might be more appropriate. This alternative model separates the items into broader Internalizing (combining Emotional Symptoms and Peer Problems) and Externalizing (combining Conduct Problems and Hyperactivity/Inattention) domains, reflecting a common structure in child psychopathology research.

Instrument

Test Type: Screening Questionnaire (Behavioral and Emotional Assessment)

Format: Self-report (Completed by the parent/caregiver). Items are rated on a 3-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Available in over 80 languages worldwide. The original version was developed in English.

Population Group: Children and adolescents.

Age Group: Typically 4–17 years (specific age ranges vary slightly depending on the version used).

Population Details: Used in both clinical samples (primary care, mental health services) and general population (school, epidemiological) settings.

Test Methodology: The parent rates 25 descriptive statements about the child’s attributes over the last six months using the options: Not True, Somewhat True, or Certainly True. The questionnaire also includes a mandatory Impact Supplement to assess functional impairment and burden.

Keywords

Child mental health, Robert Goodman, emotional difficulties, psychological screening, parent-rated scale, clinical assessment, total difficulties score.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material; typically available via academic databases.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Information regarding correspondence is maintained on the official SDQ website: http://www.sdqinfo.com/

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire is generally available for free non-commercial use by researchers and clinicians worldwide. Permission is typically granted through the official SDQ website. The specific validation study for the parent self-report version cited here was published in 1998 by Goodman, Meltzer, and Bailey. The original scale was introduced in 1997.

Reference’s

• Goodman R (1997) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A Research Note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 581-586.
• Goodman R, Meltzer H, Bailey V (1998) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A pilot study on the validity of the self-report version. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 7, 125-130.
• Goodman R (1999) 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, 40, 791-801.
• Goodman A, Lamping DL, Ploubidis GB (2010) When to use broader internalising and externalising subscales instead of the hypothesised five subscales on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): data from British parents, teachers and children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38, 1179-1191.
• The official SDQ instrument and information can be found at: http://www.sdqinfo.com/

Items of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) – parents

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Considerate of other people’s feelings

2. Restless, overactive, cannot stay still for long

3. Often complains of headaches, stomach-aches or sickness

4. Shares readily with other children, for example toys, treats, pencils

5. Often loses temper

6. Rather solitary, prefers to play alone

7. Generally well behaved, usually does what adults request

8. Many worries or often seems worried

9. Helpful if someone is hurt, upset or feeling ill

10. Constantly fidgeting or squirming

11. Has at least one good friend

12. Often fights with other children or bullies them

13. Often unhappy, depressed or tearful

14. Generally liked by other children

15. Easily distracted, concentration wanders

16. Nervous or clingy in new situations, easily loses confidence

17. Kind to younger children

18. Often argumentative with adults

19. Picked on or bullied by other children

20. Often offers to help others (parents, teachers, other children)

21. Can stop and think things out before acting

22. Can be spiteful to others

23. Gets along better with adults than with other children

24. Many fears, easily scared

25. Good attention span, sees work through to the end

Impact Supplement Questions:

Overall, do you think that your child has difficulties in one or more of the following areas: emotions, concentration, behavior or being able to get on with other people?

No, Yes minor difficulties, Yes definite difficulties, Yes severe difficulties

If you have answered “Yes”, please answer the following questions about these difficulties:

• How long have these difficulties been present? Less than a month, 1-5 months, 6-12 Months, Over a year
• Do the difficulties upset or distress your child? Not at all, Only a little, A medium amount, A great deal
• Do the difficulties interfere with your child’s everyday life in the following areas?
• HOME LIFE: Not at all, Only a little, A medium amount, A great deal
• FRIENDSHIPS: Not at all, Only a little, A medium amount, A great deal
• LEARNING: Not at all, Only a little, A medium amount, A great deal
• LEISURE ACTIVITIES: Not at all, Only a little, A medium amount, A great deal
• Do the difficulties put a burden on you or the family as a whole? Not at all, Only a little, A medium amount, A great deal