Parent Version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire – Chinese Version

Description

Behavior problems refer to ineffective or detrimental behaviors that affect a child’s normal learning and living, hindering their social adaptation and comprehensive physical and mental development. According to Mash and others, behavior problems include both behavioral and emotional aspects. Behavioral issues include aggression, noncompliance, stealing, skipping school, lying, running away, and arson, while emotional problems include anxiety, fear, depression, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships. Emotional and behavioral problems not only affect children’s daily lives and long-term mental health but also obstruct the development of children’s social functions, leading to poor academic performance, difficulty making friends, destructive behaviors, and poor social adaptation. However, if identified and intervened early, it is possible to help them return to normal.

Authors and Contact Email

Information not available.

Purpose

The purpose is to assess children’s emotional and behavioral development comprehensively.

Test Year

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was developed by American psychologist Goodman R in 1997.

Administration Method and Scoring

The SDQ comprises three versions: parent, teacher, and self-report for students. Each version contains 25 items, with responses corresponding to a range from 0 (not true) to 2 (completely true). Items 7, 11, 14, 21, and 25 are scored reversely. The items can be categorized into five dimensions: 情绪症状 (Emotional Symptoms), 品行问题 (Conduct Problems), 多动 (Hyperactivity), 同伴交往问题 (Peer Relationship Problems), and 亲社会行为 (Prosocial Behavior). Lower scores in the first four dimensions indicate fewer behavioral problems and higher social adaptation, whereas higher scores in the prosocial behavior dimension reflect greater prosocial behavior and social adaptability.

Reliability and Validity

The reliability of the SDQ has been tested. The Cronbach’s α coefficient for individual items compared to the total score is 0.5949, while for factors compared to the total score it is 0.7840, indicating good internal consistency for parental versions. Other studies reported a total questionnaire Cronbach’s α of 0.630, with factor α ranging from 0.286 to 0.751. In High Xin’s study, the internal consistency of the SDQ subscales yielded the following results: emotional symptoms (Cronbach’s α=0.57), conduct problems (Cronbach’s α=0.50), hyperactivity/inattention (Cronbach’s α=0.62), peer relationship problems (Cronbach’s α=0.22), and prosocial behaviors (Cronbach’s α=0.65). The total difficulties scale shows a Cronbach’s α of 0.69, and for all 25 items (using reverse coding for prosocial behavior items), it was 0.73.

Factors and Subscales

The SDQ is divided into five dimensions:
1. 情绪症状 (Emotional Symptoms)
2. 品行问题 (Conduct Problems)
3. 多动 (Hyperactivity)
4. 同伴交往问题 (Peer Relationship Problems)
5. 亲社会行为 (Prosocial Behavior)

Keywords

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ, behavior problems, emotional issues, internal consistency.

Items in Chinese

1. 对别人的感受有同情心
2. 不安定、过分活跃、不能长久静止
3. 往往以身体不适为借口，达到自己的目的
4. 愿意与同伴分享自己的喜欢的东西
5. 经常发脾气，易怒
6. 经常独处，喜欢一个人玩
7. 表现较听话，大人嘱咐的事情都愿意去做
8. 经常表现出忧虑
9. 愿意帮助遭受困难的人
10. 不能静静的坐着，总是不时的有无意义动作出现
11. 至少有一个好朋友
12. 与小朋友不能友好相处
13. 经常不高兴、情绪低落或哭泣
14. 基本上其他小朋友都喜欢与孩子交往
15. 容易分心，专注度不高
16. 遇到不熟悉的人或事，表现为依赖行为增加，信心不足
17. 比较爱护比自己年龄小的小朋友
18. 通常与成年人争论
19. 受别的小孩作弄或欺负
20. 喜欢主动帮助熟悉的大人和同伴
21. 做事前可以思考
22. 与人交往不怀好意或有敌意
23. 与同龄人相比，跟成年人相处更和谐自得
24. 胆小，容易受惊吓
25. 有恒心，做事坚忍不拔，注意力持久

Items in English

1. Can empathize with the feelings of others.
2. Unstable, overly active, unable to stay still for long.
3. Often complains of headaches, stomachaches, or physical discomfort to achieve their goals.
4. Willing to share favorite things with peers.
5. Often loses temper or has outbursts.
6. Often lonely, prefers to play alone.
7. Generally obedient, usually willing to do what adults ask.
8. Has a lot of worries, often shows anxiety.
9. Very willing to help someone who is hurt, unwell or ill.
10. Often restless or fidgety.
11. Has one or more good friends.
12. Often gets into fights or bullies other children.
13. Frequently unhappy, low-spirited, or crying.
14. Generally liked by other children.
15. Easily distracted, lacks concentration.
16. In new environments, becomes nervous or clings to adults, easily loses confidence.
17. Often takes care of younger children.
18. Frequently argues with adults.
19. Gets bullied or picked on by other children.
20. Often volunteers to help others (parents, teachers, or other children).
21. Thinks things through before acting.
22. Tends to engage with others with ill intentions or hostility.
23. Gets along better with adults than with peers.
24. Easily scared or frightened by many things.
25. Persistent, able to finish tasks and maintain attention.

References

Mash, E. J., Goodman, R., and others. Information not available.