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Reliability of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in Japanese Preschool Children Aged 4-6 Years

Yuriko Doi1, Kaneyoshi Ishihara, Makoto Uchiyama

  • 1Area on Epidemiological Research, National Institute of Public Health.

Journal of Epidemiology
|August 26, 2014
PubMed

Insights

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) 3-4 is reliable for screening Japanese preschooler behavior. Its total difficulties and prosocial scales show good reliability, with other scales demonstrating acceptable consistency.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Psychometric Evaluation
  • Behavioral Screening Tools

Background:

  • The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a widely utilized brief behavioral screening tool.
  • Assessing the psychometric properties of the SDQ 3-4 is crucial for its effective application in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the 3- to 4-year-old version of the SDQ (SDQ 3-4).
  • To determine the suitability of the SDQ 3-4 for use with Japanese preschool children.

Main Methods:

  • The SDQ 3-4 was administered to 754 parents of 4- to 6-year-old children in Wako City, Japan.
  • Data were collected at two time points over a two-week interval.
  • Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability was evaluated using correlation coefficients.

Main Results:

  • Internal consistency was good for the total difficulties score (α=0.74) and prosocial behavior scale (α=0.70).
  • Reliability was slightly lower for emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and hyperactivity scales (α=0.61-0.66), and poor for peer problems (α=0.45).
  • Test-retest reliability was good (r=0.73-0.82) for most scales, with peer problems showing lower reliability (r=0.58).

Conclusions:

  • The SDQ 3-4 demonstrates satisfactory reliability for total difficulties and prosocial behavior scales in Japanese preschool children.
  • The instrument is acceptable for assessing emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and hyperactivity in this age group.
  • The peer problems scale may require further investigation for reliability in this population.

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