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Normative data for the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for young children in Australia

Peter Kremer1,2, Andrea de Silva1,3, Joyce Cleary4

  • 1Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
|April 16, 2015
PubMed

Insights

This study provides normative data for the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in Australian children aged 4-6 years. It establishes age- and sex-specific cut-offs for identifying emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychometrics

Background:

  • The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a widely used screening tool for child mental health.
  • Establishing normative data is crucial for accurate interpretation of SDQ scores.
  • Previous research has lacked comprehensive, population-based normative data for young Australian children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide age- and sex-specific normative data for the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in a large cohort of Australian children aged 4-6 years.
  • To establish reliable cut-off values for classifying SDQ scores as normal, borderline, or abnormal.
  • To assess the psychometric properties, specifically scale reliability, of the SDQ in this age group.

Main Methods:

  • A large-scale survey of 53,372 children entering their first year of school in Victoria, Australia, in 2010.
  • Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as part of the School Entrant Health Questionnaire.
  • Normative data and age- and sex-specific cut-off values were generated, and scale reliability was assessed.

Main Results:

  • The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scales demonstrated generally acceptable internal reliability.
  • Mean SDQ scores varied significantly by both sex and age.
  • Cut-off values were found to be slightly higher for girls and generally increased with age.

Conclusions:

  • This study successfully generated age- and sex-specific normative data for the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in a large Australian sample.
  • The established cut-off values provide a benchmark for defining 'normal', 'borderline', and 'abnormal' SDQ scores in Australian children aged 4-6 years.
  • These findings support the use of the SDQ for screening and assessment of emotional and behavioral difficulties in early childhood in Australia.
Abstract

Keywords:
behavioural and emotional difficultieschild healthmental healthnormative data

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