Observational studyBMJ open2018
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: internal validity and reliability for New Zealand preschoolers.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Psychometric properties of Rosenberg's self-esteem scale among adolescents: a Rasch model analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Article
- Investigating the relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure and children's behavioural and emotional development: analysis of the Growing Up in New Zealand study.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2024Article
- Screening Children in India: Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire.Pediatric reports · 2023Article
- Identifying neurodevelopmental disabilities from nationalised preschool health check.The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry · 2023Article
- Maternal prenatal stress and postnatal depressive symptoms: discrepancy between mother and teacher reports of toddler psychological problems.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2021Article
- Factor structure of the SDQ and longitudinal associations from pre-school to pre-teen in New Zealand.PloS one · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis observational study examines the internal construct validity, internal consistency and cross-informant reliability of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in a New Zealand preschool population across four ethnicity strata (New Zealand European, Māori, Pasifika, Asian).
designRasch analysis was employed to examine internal validity on a subsample of 1000 children. Internal consistency (n=29 075) and cross-informant reliability (n=17 006) were examined using correlations, intraclass correlation coefficients and Cronbach's alpha on the sample available for such analyses. SETTING AND
participantsData were used from a national SDQ database provided by the funder, pertaining to New Zealand domiciled children aged 4 and 5 and scored by their parents and teachers.
resultsThe five subscales do not fit the Rasch model (as indicated by the overall fit statistics), contain items that are biased (differential item functioning (DIF)) by key variables, suffer from a floor and ceiling effect and have unacceptable internal consistency. After dealing with DIF, the Total Difficulty scale does fit the Rasch model and has good internal consistency. Parent/teacher inter-rater reliability was unacceptably low for all subscales.
conclusionThe five SDQ subscales are not valid and not suitable for use in their own right in New Zealand. We have provided a conversion table for the Total Difficulty scale, which takes account of bias by ethnic group. Clinicians should use this conversion table in order to reconcile DIF by culture in final scores. It is advisable to use both parents and teachers' feedback when considering children's needs for referral of further assessment. Future work should examine whether validity is impacted by different language versions used in the same country.
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