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. Public Significance Statement This study investigates the ability of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to discriminate between different traits and the degree of convergence between teacher, mother, and father ratings. Among other implications, our findings confirm the importance of using multiple informants to more comprehensively assess children's behavior, stressing the need for considering reports based on different observation contexts, namely home and school.