The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for preschool children—a Swedish validation

Abstract

Background: In Sweden, 80–90% of children aged 1–5 years attend preschool, and that environment is well suited to identify behaviours that may be signs of mental health problems. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a well-known short and structured instrument measuring child behaviours that indicate mental health problems well suited for preschool use.

Aim: To investigate whether SDQ is a reliable and valid instrument for identifying behavioural problems in children aged 1–3 years and 4–5 years in a Swedish population, as rated by preschool teachers.

Methods: Preschools situated in different sized municipalities in Sweden participated. The preschool teacher rated each individual child. Concurrent validity was tested using the Child–Teacher Report Form (C-TRF) and Child Engagement Questionnaire (CEQ). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted for age groups, 1–3 years and 4–5 years.

Results: The preschool teachers considered most of the SDQ items relevant and possible to rate. For the children aged 1–3 years, the subscales ‘Hyperactivity’ (Cronbach alpha = 0.84, split half = 0.73) and ‘Conduct’ (Cronbach alpha = 0.76, split half = 0.80) were considered to be valid. For the age group 4–5 years, the whole original SDQ scale, 4-factor solution was used and showed reasonable validity (Cronbach alpha = 0.83, split half = 0.87).

Conclusion: SDQ can be used in a preschool setting by preschool teachers as a valid instrument for identifying externalizing behavioural problems (hyperactivity and conduct problems) in young children.

Clinical implications: SDQ could be used to identify preschool children at high-risk for mental health problems later in life.

Keywords:

• Mental health
• preschool children
• psychometrics
• screening
• strengths and difficulties questionnaire

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the entire staffs of the enrolled preschools for their time and support during the data collection process. We wish to express our gratitude to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) for financial support.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.