Seattle Personality Questionnaire – SPQ
A self-report instrument designed to assess psychological symptomatology, including anxiety, conduct problems, somatization, depression, and social competence in elementary school-aged children.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Seattle Personality Questionnaire – SPQ was developed by Mark T. Greenberg & Carol A. Kusche (1990). It is designed to measure Child psychological symptomatology. The scale is intended for use with Elementary school children (grades 1-6).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 45 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Anxiety, Conduct Problems, Somatization, Depression, Social Competence, Validity.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | 2,3,5,7,11,26,29 | 7 |
| Conduct Problems | 1,10,18,21,22,25,27,30 | 8 |
| Somatization | 6,13,14,17,23 | 5 |
| Depression | 31,33,34,35,37,38,39,41,42,43,45 | 11 |
| Social Competence | 4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44 | 11 |
| Validity | 9,15,19 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = No, 2 = Yes, 3 = Don't know.
The scale includes 10 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 3. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Symptomatology: 1 – 1
- Moderate Symptomatology: 1 – 2
- High Symptomatology: 2 – 3
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.