The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: An examination of factorial, convergent, and discriminant validity using multitrait-multirater data.

This study examined the factorial, convergent, and discriminant validity of scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a tool for screening children's psychological adjustment. Data were collected from a community sample of 346 children (46% girls, M age = 54.07 months), using teacher, mother, and father reports. Results from confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the SDQ's hypothesized 5-factor structure fit the data well and partial strict measurement invariance was established across raters. Using teachers' reports as reference method, a correlated trait-correlated method minus 1 model (Eid et al., 2008) was fitted to investigate convergent and discriminant validity. The convergent validity of parents' ratings relative to teachers' ratings was modest. Mothers and fathers had a unique perspective on children's behavior above and beyond their partial overlap with teacher reports. Results indicated good discriminant validity between most of the traits measured by the SDQ. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).