The Factor Structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in India

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief instrument developed primarily for screening children and adolescents for social-emotional learning. The SDQ contains four factors related to socio-emotional difficulties and one factor related to prosocial behaviour. However, studies of its factor structure have produced mixed results. The present study examined whether the original five-factor model of the SDQ could be replicated with children in India. The sample consisted of 407 children aged 4–8 years with neurotypical development who were recruited across the states of North India. Parents and teachers were recruited through purposive sampling and completed the SDQ online. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the factor structure of the SDQ. The results showed that the five-factor model was a good fit for parents and an adequate fit for teachers. The results from this study provide evidence for the construct validity of the SDQ with children in India. Hence, these findings provide support for its use in screening the social-emotional functioning of children living in India.