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The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Parents for Italian School-Aged Children: Psychometric Properties and Norms

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Abstract

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ; (1)] is a multi-informant instrument for screening developmental psychopathology. This study contributes to the validation of the Italian SDQ-Parent version (SDQ-P), analyzing its factorial structure, providing norms and investigating cross-informant agreement (parents-teachers). The SDQ-P and the SDQ-Teacher version (SDQ-T) were completed for 1917 primary and middle school students. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to compare two factorial structures: the original five-factor model and the structure obtained in a past Italian study (2). The original model showed the best fit. Significant differences by gender and school grade were found; norms were provided separately for males and females attending 1st–2nd, 3rd–5th and 6th–8th grades. Finally, the analysis of parent-teacher agreement showed correlations ranging from small (prosocial behavior) to large (hyperactivity-inattention). This study offers some reflections on the best way to use this instrument in a community sample.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milano, Italy

    Valentina Tobia & Gian Marco Marzocchi

  2. Centro per l’Età Evolutiva, Via Giuseppe Verdi, 24121, Bergamo, Italy

    Gian Marco Marzocchi

Authors
  1. Valentina Tobia
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  2. Gian Marco Marzocchi
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Correspondence to Valentina Tobia.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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The study has been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Tobia, V., Marzocchi, G.M. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Parents for Italian School-Aged Children: Psychometric Properties and Norms. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 49, 1–8 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-017-0723-2

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