title: The self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: its psychometric properties in 8- to 13-year-old non-clinical children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the reliability and validity of the self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in relatively young children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SDQ was administered to a large sample of non-clinical children (n = 1111) aged 8-13 years. In a subsample (n = 439), self-report SDQ scores of children with and without behaviour problems were compared, and related to the teacher version of the SDQ, the Youth Self-Report and the Teacher Report Form.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the reliability of the self-report SDQ was somewhat less satisfactory in the younger children of our sample, most other psychometric properties were acceptable and comparable to those obtained in older youths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While the self-report SDQ was designed for youths aged 11 years and above, the current data seem to suggest that the scale may provide useful information about psychopathological symptoms in children as young as 8 years old.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical, Clinical & Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. p.muris@dep.unimaas.nl
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muris
authors.forename: Cor
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meesters
authors.forename: Anneke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eijkelenboom
authors.forename: Manon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vincken
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D011594:Psychometrics; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires