Measures

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

A child and adolescent screening questionnaire with parent, teacher and youth forms.

Informant questionnaire The format describes how observations are obtained, not an evidence rating.

What it measures

Emotional and behavioral difficulties together with prosocial behavior, organized into five five-item scales (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems and prosocial behavior).

What people do

The core forms contain 25 attributes rated on a 3-point scale from 0 (Not true) to 2 (Certainly true). Parent and teacher forms cover ages 2 to 17 (with age-specific wording for 2–4 and 4–17), and self-report forms cover ages 11 to 17; extended versions add an impact supplement and follow-up questions.

What the scores mean

Each five-item scale is scored from 0 to 10, and the Total Difficulties score (0 to 40) sums the four difficulty scales while keeping the prosocial scale separate. Use the official form-specific scoring guidance rather than inventing a total of all 25 items.

This explains the logic of a score. It does not supply a test form, individual result or administration manual.

Development and versions

Robert Goodman introduced the SDQ in 1997 as a brief behavioral screening questionnaire covering both difficulties and strengths. Later impact supplements and age forms extended its uses.

Evidence: (SDQ Team: What Is the SDQ?, n.d.); (R. Goodman, 1997); (R. Goodman, 2001); (SDQ Team: Scoring the SDQ, n.d.); (SDQ Team: Copyright and Electronic-Use Notice, n.d.); (Spielman et al., 2020)

Reliability and validity evidence

A 2001 British epidemiological study reported mean internal consistency .73, mean cross-informant correlation .34 and mean retest correlation .62 over 4–6 months. These averages differ in meaning and are not norms for every scale, form or country.

Evidence belongs to a version, sample and interpretation. Read the source notes for what was actually inspected.

Evidence: (SDQ Team: What Is the SDQ?, n.d.); (R. Goodman, 1997); (R. Goodman, 2001); (SDQ Team: Scoring the SDQ, n.d.); (SDQ Team: Copyright and Electronic-Use Notice, n.d.); (Spielman et al., 2020)

Where it is used

Screening, research and monitoring with the relevant informants. Disagreement can reflect differences between settings as well as error.

Limits and common misreadings

  • Parent and teacher ratings do not observe exactly the same contexts.
  • Screening does not establish a diagnosis.
  • The 2001 British study does not supply US population norms.

Read an example

Original teaching example

In a fictional school study, a teacher reports difficulties that are not observed at home. Averaging the ratings immediately could erase a useful setting difference; the team first asks what each informant had a chance to observe.

Constructed for learning; this is not a result from the instrument’s validation study.

Access and permission

The SDQ is copyrighted. The official notice permits qualifying paper copying by individuals or nonprofits without charging families; electronic versions require prior authorization. Unauthorized modifications and translations are not permitted. Scoring software has separate licensing requirements.

Read the source for Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

Textbook connection

Related contextPsychology 2e: 9.3 Stages of Development

Conceptual context; the instrument-specific sources in this profile provide the primary evidence.

Related measures

Read a measure critically · Explore score examples · Review research methods

Sources and inspection notes

Checked October 22, 2026. An inspection date is not a publication date. Publisher information is not presented as independent validation; abstract-only and indexed-excerpt access are identified below.

  1. Goodman, R. (1997). The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 38(5), 581–586. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01545.xConsulted sourcePrimary research: indexed abstract

    Foundational 1997 article introducing the 25-item SDQ and comparing parent/teacher SDQ scores with Rutter questionnaires.

  2. Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(11), 1337–1345. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200111000-00015Consulted sourcePrimary research: indexed abstract

    British epidemiological sample, factor structure, reliability, informant agreement and interview comparison inspected. Results are not US norms.

  3. SDQ team: Copyright and electronic-use notice. (n.d.). https://sdqinfo.org/Developer guidance: current copyright notice

    Qualifying paper copying, restrictions on modifications and translations, and prior authorization for electronic forms inspected. No forms redistributed.

  4. SDQ team: Scoring the SDQ. (n.d.). https://www.sdqinfo.org/py/sdqinfo/c0.pyDeveloper guidance: scoring and licensing notices

    Computer scoring recommendations and software licensing notices inspected. No scoring code or questionnaire forms redistributed.

  5. SDQ team: What is the SDQ? (n.d.). https://www.sdqinfo.org/a0.htmlDeveloper guidance: structure and forms

    25 attributes, five scales, 0–40 Total Difficulties structure, informant/age versions (2–17 parent/teacher, 11–17 self-report) and impact supplement inspected. Age and reference period depend on the selected form.

  6. Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/9-3-stages-of-developmentTextbook: conceptual context

    Conceptual context; the instrument-specific sources in this profile provide the primary evidence.