Assessing behavior in children aged 12–24 months using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Abstract

Behavioral and emotional problems in infants and toddlers are common, often persist and put children at risk of later mental health problems. Reliable, efficient, and sensitive tools are needed to identify young children who may benefit from further assessment and support. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), offers a brief, convenient means of screening for early problems, however, it lacks psychometric validation in infants. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the SDQ in children aged 12–24 months. Ninety‐three participants, with children aged 12–24 months, completed the SDQ and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) online. Concurrent validity of the SDQ was assessed through comparison with the CBCL. The results demonstrated that key subscales of the SDQ and CBCL were significantly correlated (r range= −.19 to –.57). Key SDQ subscales showed moderate reliability (Cronbach's alpha range = .38–.79, mean inter‐item correlation range = .06–.43). The SDQ shows promising reliability and validity as a measure for rating the behavior of 12–24‐months‐old children, particularly for externalizing symptoms. Further research is needed to assess its predictive utility.

Towards a dimensional model of risk and protective factors influencing children’s early cognitive, social and emotional development during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…This may indicate that older pre-schoolers are more vulnerable to the impacts of chronic parental mental health difficulties compared with toddlers, or it may be that older children have had more exposure to the negative effects of chronic mental health (i.e., before the start of our observation). However, it may also be the case that our measures of externalizing and internalizing problems are less sensitive to emergent mental health difficulties in young toddlers (Patel et al, 2021). We did not find an association between parental mental health and parent report of child executive function difficulties when only children aged 24-36 months were included.…”

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a Valuable Screening Tool for Identifying Core Symptoms and Behavioural and Emotional Problems in Children with Neuropsychiatric Disorders

“…Early screening offers an important opportunity to rapidly detect and treat behavioural and emotional symptoms. Therefore, it is not surprising that, over the past two decades, several studies [21][22][23][24][25] have attempted to identify the early neuropsychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents via psychological questionnaires.…”

Toward a dimensional model of risk and protective factors influencing children's early cognitive, social, and emotional development during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…This may indicate that older preschoolers are more vulnerable to the impacts of chronic parental mental health difficulties compared with toddlers, or it may be that older children have had more exposure to the negative effects of chronic mental health (i.e., before the start of our observation). However, it may also be the case that our measures of externalizing and internalizing problems are less sensitive to emergent mental health difficulties in young toddlers (Patel et al., 2021 ). We did not find an association between parental mental health and parent report of child executive function difficulties when only children aged 24–36 months were included.…”