The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: U.S. Normative Data and Psychometric Properties
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a U.S. national population sample of children and adolescents, develop normative scoring bands, and test the association of high-scoring groups with service contacts or use for mental health reasons.Method An Americanized version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire parent report was administered to parents of 10,367 4- to 17 -year-olds in the 2001 National Health Interview Survey. Scoring bands were developed to differentiate low, medium, and high levels of emotional or behavioral difficulties. Children at high risk of serious difficulties were identified by three different scoring methods: (1) high symptom scores, (2) parental perception of definite or severe difficulties, and (3) high symptoms plus impairment. These ratings were validated against service contact or use and other well-established demographic and broader risk factors for child emotional and behavioral problems.Results Results indicated good acceptability and internal consistency. Normative scoring bands were similar, though not identical, to the original British bands. Results of each scoring method had a strong association with service contact/use.Conclusions This study supports the usefulness of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as an effective and efficient screener for child and adolescent mental health problems in the United States.
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Low reliabilities of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scales, especially the peer and conduct problems subscales, have been consistently found.
“Low reliabilities of these scales have been consistently found (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994); particularly for the peer and conduct problems subscales (Bourdon et al., 2005; McCrory & Layte, 2012; Muris et al., 2003).”
From Prospective Relations between Family Conflict and Adolescent Maladjustment: Security in the Family System as a Mediating Process (2015) · cites this paper as Bourdon et al., 2005
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- Authors
- Bourdon, K. H., Goodman, R., Rae, D. S., Simpson, G., & Koretz, D. S.
- Affiliations
- National Institute of Mental Health (US)
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bourdon, Karen H.
- ORCID
- Goodman, Robert
- Venue
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-06
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 557-564
- ISSN
- 0890-8567 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2030124126
- Cited by
- 536
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 38 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 21.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, child and adolescent mental health, emotional and behavioral problems, reference values, screening, parent report, mental health service utilization, psychometric properties, internal consistency, risk identification
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Affective Symptoms, Child, Child Behavior Disorders, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Mental Health Services, Personality Assessment, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reference Values, United States, Utilization Review, Reproducibility of Results
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