Modification of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for Adolescents

The article presents a modification of the questionnaire «Strengths and Difficulties» (hereinafter — SDQ) by R. Goodman for adolescents. The relevance of the study is determined by the increase in emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents and the need for their timely diagnosis. The SDQ is widely used for screening psychosocial and emotional problems in adolescents, assesses 25 positive and negative properties on a 3-point Likert scale, which are grouped into 5 scales («Prosocial behavior», «Hyperactivity», «Emotional symptoms», «Problems with behavior», «Problems with peers»). Four scales, except for the first, together give the «Total number of problems». The five-factor structure of the SDQ was verified using confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup factor analysis on a sample of 1,374 schoolchildren from different regions of the Russian Federation aged 10 to 17 years (mean age 13.4 ± 2.0 years, median = 11 years, 52% of female respondents). The data on acceptable internal consistency of the scales of the modified questionnaire were obtained. The expected relationships with the subscales of the Multidimensional Satisfaction with Life Scale (MSLS) and the Freiburg Multifactor Inventory (FPI) indicate the validity of the instrument. The results showed that girls have higher scores only on the Emotional Symptoms scale, and these differences are typical for any age. With age, the number of problems in adolescents decreases, and this is typical for both girls and boys. At the same time, at any age and for any gender, the number of behavioral problems is significantly lower than the number of other problems. The questionnaire in abbreviated form has sufficient internal consistency and can be used for diagnostic purposes.