SDQ

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

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The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is among the most widely used screening measures for children and adolescents. It is used to assess emotional and behavioral factors that play a role in ADHD. Unlike other questionnaires, the SDQ covers not only problems and difficulties, but is balanced to address a child’s strengths, prosocial behavior, and relationships through positive questions as well. In addition to psychosocial difficulties, the measure also determines their effect on the child’s environment and on everyday functioning.

The SDQ includes the following subscales:

• Emotional symptoms
• Conduct problems
• Hyperactivity/Inattention
• Peer relationship problems
• Prosocial behavior

These scales are combined to create an overall score between 0 and 40.

Different versions exist for self-completion or completion by informants. They are grouped by age [years]:

• Self 11–17
• Self 18+
• Informant 2–4
• Informant 4–17
• Informant 18+

The same questionnaires are also available with additional questions:

• Self 11–17
• Self 18+
• Informant 2–4
• Informant 4–17 (parent)
• Informant 4–17 (teacher)
• Informant 18+

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Questionnaire

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The SDQ screening for completion by your patient.

Scoring

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The SDQ is scored using color-coded bars. For each subscale and the overall score, the value and a cut-off-based interpretation (Unlikely, Possible or Probable) are given.

Your secure Therapists account on PsyDix.org allows you to access the following scoring for the SDQ: SDQ-Scoring) In addition, you can download the scoring as a PDF file for discussion with patients or documentation in your files.

Preview of the PDF scoring of the SDQ for discussion with the patient:

Download a sample: SDQ scoring as PDF file.

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Interpretation

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For interpreting the results of the SDQ, definitions and cut-offs were chosen such that for a given disorder, incidence of the disorder is “unlikely” in approximately 80 % of children or adolascents, “possible” in 10 % of children and adolescents, and “probable” in a further 10 % of children and adolescents.

School package

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For school counsellors, our special package allows you to administer and score up to 50 SDQ screenings per year.

The anonymized color-coded scorings can then be used as evidence or supplementary material when applying for or justifying special needs funding.

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© Goodman, R. (2005)