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Psychometric properties of the parent strengths and difficulties questionnaire in the general population of German children and adolescents: results of the BELLA study

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Abstract

Background

The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief screening instrument that addresses negative and positive behavioural attributes of children and adolescents in the age range of 4–16 years and can be completed by parents, teachers, and as a self-report. Furthermore, the impact supplement of the extended SDQ surveys for perceived problems, impact, and burden.

Objective

This paper aims to examine the psychometric properties of the parent form and to investigate differences in the SDQ scores for sociodemographic and socioeconomic subgroups. Patterns of association with other measures of mental health and descriptive comparison with the first normative sample are also reported.

Methods

Within the BELLA study module of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), a total of 2,406 children and adolescents aged 7–16 years as well as their parents answered the items of the SDQ and the additional impact supplement. The internal consistency of scale responses was assessed via Cronbach’s α (alpha). Likert scale assumptions of sufficient and similar item-total correlation and item variance were investigated. The factorial validity of the SDQ measurement model was tested by means of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Mean score differences between males and females, age groups (7–10 years vs. 11–16 years), and socioeconomic status groups (Winkler index) were examined via ANOVA.

Results

Factor analysis provided an exact replication of the original five-factor SDQ subscale structure. All subscales were sufficiently homogeneous. The mean total difficulties and SDQ subscale scores of the BELLA sample did not differ from the first German normative data. Younger children were more impaired on various SDQ scales than older children, girls were more emotionally affected, and boys showed more externalising problems.

Conclusions

The present study confirmed the validity and reliability of the parent-reported SDQ scale structure. The SDQ was found to be a valid and helpful questionnaire for use in the framework of an epidemiological survey.

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Conflict of interest

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Göttingen, von-Siebold-Straße 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany

    Aribert Rothenberger &  Andreas Becker

  2. Dept. of Psychosomatics in Children and Adolescents, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Michael Erhart,  Nora Wille MPH &  Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer

Authors
  1. Aribert Rothenberger
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  2. Andreas Becker
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  3. Michael Erhart
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  4. Nora Wille MPH
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  5. Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer
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and the BELLA study group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aribert Rothenberger.

Additional information

A. Rothenberger and A. Becker have contributed equally to the paper.

Members of the BELLA study group: Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer (Principal Investigator), Claus Barkmann, Susanne Bettge, Monika Bullinger, Manfred Döpfner, Michael Erhart, Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann, Heike Hölling, Franz Resch, Aribert Rothenberger, Michael Schulte-Markwort, Nora Wille, Hans-Ulrich Wittchen.

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Rothenberger, A., Becker, A., Erhart, M. et al. Psychometric properties of the parent strengths and difficulties questionnaire in the general population of German children and adolescents: results of the BELLA study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 17 (Suppl 1), 99–105 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-008-1011-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-008-1011-2

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