title: Screening mental health problems during adolescence: psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.
abstract: The main purpose of the present study was to test the psychometric properties of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), self-reported version, in Spanish adolescents, introducing a five-point Likert response scale. The sample consisted of 1474 adolescents with a mean age of 15.92 years (SD = 1.18). The level of internal consistency of the SDQ Total score was .75, ranging from .56 to .71 for the subscales. Results from exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure as the most satisfactory. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the five-factor model (with modifications) displayed better goodness of-fit indices than the other hypothetical dimensional models tested. Furthermore, strong measurement invariance by age and partial measurement invariance by gender was supported. The study of the psychometric properties confirms that the Spanish version of the SDQ, self-reported form, is a useful tool for the screening of emotional and behavioural problems in adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ortuño-Sierra
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Spain. Electronic address: eduardo.fonseca@unirioja.es.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fonseca-Pedrero
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paino
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Spain.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sastre i Riba
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Spain; Center for Biomedical Research in the Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Spain.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muñiz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011594:Psychometrics; D057566:Self Report; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescents; Behavioural problems; Factorial structure; Measurement invariance; SDQ; Self-report