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Responsiveness of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in a Sample of High-Risk Youth in Residential Treatment

Abstract

Background  

Quality assessment of children’s functioning is critical for both research and service delivery. The Strengths and Difficulties
Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief, publicly-available instrument that provides such assessment. Although the SDQ has strong psychometric
properties, less is known about its responsiveness or sensitivity to detecting change over time.

Objective  

This study examined the responsiveness of the SDQ among high-risk youth and tested the degree to which changes on the SDQ
correspond to changes on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a well-established and lengthier reference measure.

Methods  

Longitudinal SDQ and CBCL data collected as part of routine service delivery were analyzed for 65 youth entering a large residential
treatment program. Assessments were obtained both at intake and approximately 3 months into the program.

Results  

Paired samples t tests revealed statistically significant decreases in SDQ Conduct Problems and Emotional Symptoms scores, and McNemar’s tests
showed a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of Conduct Problems cases. Correlations between changes on the
SDQ scales and changes on corresponding CBCL scales ranged from .58 to .83. Results from receiver operating characteristic
curves indicated that the SDQ was relatively accurate in identifying changes in CBCL diagnostic cases, with overlap across
corresponding problem behavior domains ranging from 68 to 81 %.

Conclusions  

Findings suggest that the SDQ may represent a shorter, low cost alternative to longer measures, such as the CBCL, for use
when researchers and practitioners are faced with time or financial constraints associated with the assessment of child functioning
over time.

  • Content Type Journal Article
  • Category Original Paper
  • Pages 1-14
  • DOI 10.1007/s10566-012-9179-5
  • Authors
    • W. Alex Mason, Boys Town National Research Institute for Child and Family Studies, 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
    • Mary B. Chmelka, Boys Town National Research Institute for Child and Family Studies, 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
    • Ronald W. Thompson, Boys Town National Research Institute for Child and Family Studies, 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
    • Journal Child and Youth Care Forum
    • Online ISSN 1573-3319
    • Print ISSN 1053-1890
Posted in: Journal Article Abstracts on 04/01/2012 | Link to this post on IFP |
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