Emotional Strengths and Difficulties in Italian Adolescents: Analysis of Adaptation through the SDQ

Abstract

An adolescent’s knowledge of him/herself (positive aspects and weaknesses) is shaped by interactions with external and internal factors, including the family context and the educational environment. The assessment of this knowledge serves to construct the concept of self-esteem. The main objective of the present study was to examine the prevalence of self-reported emotional and behavioral symptoms in a representative sample of Italian adolescents and their relationship with gender and age, using Goodman’s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). A total of 440 adolescents (49.8% female) aged 15–18 years from the southern Italy region participated. The results show the prevalence of emotional and behavioral symptoms in the analyzed sample. Gender differences were also found in the variables under study. In conclusion, the SDQ test is offered as an agile, simplified, and effective tool, to be proposed to all formative agents who are concerned with the interest and care not only of young people, but also of the future of socio-political realities.

Socio‐emotional, cognitive, affective disorders and substance use in a sample of students in first‐ and second‐grade high school in Italy: A comparison among students', parents', and teachers' perceptions

“…These findings suggest that adults fail to fully consider the extent of emotional distress experienced by the youth. In particular, students scored high for emotional symptoms, as indicated in other Italian studies that showed an increase in emotional difficulties during the acute phase of the pandemic (Corvasce et al, 2022;Pisano et al, 2021) with a deterioration of psychological well-being compared with the prepandemic period (Mastorci et al, 2021;Pedrini et al, 2022). Regarding students' behaviors, teachers perceived fewer issues on conduct problems than parents and this is probably because parents experienced greater proximity with their children during the pandemic due to the large amount of time spent indoors during the COVID-19 lockdown.…”

Emotional and Behavioural Factors Predisposing to Internet Addiction: The Smartphone Distraction among Italian High School Students

“…Comprising 25 items, the questionnaire employs a 3-point Likert scale (i.e., "Not true," "Partially true," and "Absolutely true") and is structured into five factors: emotional symptoms (ES; e.g., "Complaining of headache, stomach pain, or nausea"), conduct problems (CP; e.g., "Fights with other children or annoys them on purpose"), hyperactivity-inattention (HI; e.g., "Constantly moving or uncomfortable"), peer relationship problems (PRP; e.g., "Have at least one good friend"), and prosocial behaviours (PB; e.g., "Respectful of the feelings of others"). Studies support the original factor structure of the Goodman's questionnaire from early to late adolescence (10-19 years old, [48]), including Italian adolescents (until 18 years old, [49]). In the present study, acceptable reliability was demonstrated for each sub-scale (α ES = 0.76; α CP = 0.50; α HI = 0.64; α PRP = 0.55; and α PB = 0.59).…”

The catcher in the mind: validation of the brief-mentalized affectivity scale for adolescents in the Italian population

“…( 2010 ), and Corvasce et al . ( 2022 ) used the measure on an adolescent sample. The questionnaire showed good reliability, cross-informant correlation, and test-retest stability.…”