Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Self-Report 11-17

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is one of the most extensively utilized behavioral and emotional screening tools globally, designed to…

Questions: 25
Duration: 5 min
Original title: SDQ — Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (self-report 11-17)
Adaptation: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Self-Report 11-17
Authors: Goodman, R.
Created: 1997

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is one of the most extensively utilized behavioral and emotional screening tools globally, designed to capture a balanced profile of youth mental health. For adolescents aged 11 to 17, this self-report version provides direct insight into their subjective experience across multiple developmental domains. By structuring the assessment into five distinct scales, it ensures clinicians gather comprehensive baseline data without overburdening the young person.

Because the SDQ captures both positive attributes and clinical vulnerabilities, it avoids an exclusively deficit-focused approach. This balanced framework aligns well with foundational interventions, helping clinicians introduce a shared conceptual language using tools like a CBT Overview to explain how specific challenges interact.

Routine administration of the SDQ allows clinicians to detect emerging psychopathology, measure symptom severity against normative thresholds, and reliably monitor change over time. When used systematically alongside an Exploring Problems mapping approach, the resulting data forms a precise anchor for treatment planning, ensuring interventions are dynamically adjusted to the adolescent’s evolving needs.

Example result

Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.

Overall score

20/ 40

SELF-REPORT version of the SDQ: adolescents aged 11 to 17 complete the 25 items ("Not True / Somewhat True / Certainly True") based on the past six months. Same five scales as the parent version (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationships, prosocial behaviour) and same total difficulties score (0–40, sum of the four difficulty scales—prosocial, scored in reverse, is not included); however, cut-offs and norms are SPECIFIC to self-report, which typically yields higher scores than parent reports.

0–14

Close to average

15–17

Slightly raised

18–19

High

20–40

Very high

The most concerning scores.

généralemixed · general population · British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey (self-report, 11–15 years) · 11–15 years · United Kingdom · n = 4228 · 2000 · Meltzer et al. (2000)

040

M = 10.3 ± 5.2

généralefemale · general population · girls, British national survey (self-report, 11–15 years) · 11–15 years · United Kingdom · n = 2093 · 2000 · Meltzer et al. (2000)

040

M = 10 ± 5.3

généralemale · general population · boys, British national survey (self-report, 11–15 years) · 11–15 years · United Kingdom · n = 2135 · 2000 · Meltzer et al. (2000)

040

M = 10.5 ± 5.1

Scoring

Sum per subscale + total difficulties score (sum of the 4 difficulty subscales), total score from 0 to 40, each item is scored on a 3-point scale (0 to 2).

Difficulties and strengths (self-report)

Difficulty scales (high = more difficulties)

Emotional symptoms

010

5 · Slightly raised

assesses subjective emotional distress, including worry, unhappiness, fearfulness, somatic complaints, and clinginess in new situations.

Conduct problems

010

5 · High

captures behavioural difficulties including temper outbursts, fighting, disobedience, lying, and stealing.

Hyperactivity / Inattention

010

5 · Close to average

measures overactivity, restlessness, distractibility, and difficulties with sustained attention and reflective thinking.

Peer relationship problems

010

5 · Very high

captures difficulties in peer relationships, including social isolation, being bullied, preferring adult company, and difficulty maintaining friendships. The most concerning scores.

Positive scale (low = concerning)

Prosocial behaviors

010

4 · Very low

assesses positive social attributes including consideration for others, sharing, helpfulness, kindness, and volunteering. Lowest prosocial behaviour (concerning).

The Total Difficulties score sums four scales; the prosocial scale is interpreted in reverse—a LOW score is concerning—and is not included in the total. Cut-offs and norms are specific to self-report (11–17 years): do not compare directly to parent-version thresholds.

Goodman et al. (2016)View the study ↗

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What the test measures

The SDQ evaluates adolescent psychological well-being through 25 items that span both clinical vulnerabilities and adaptive behavioral strengths. The items are evenly distributed across five core domains, providing a multidimensional clinical profile.

Emotional symptoms: Assesses internalizing distress, including somatic complaints, worry, fear, and depressive mood.
Conduct problems: Captures externalizing behaviors such as rule-breaking, temper outbursts, lying, and aggression.
Hyperactivity and inattention: Measures restlessness, impulsivity, distractibility, and sustained attention deficits.
Peer relationship problems: Evaluates social isolation, victimization by peers, and preference for adult company.
Prosocial behavior: Highlights interpersonal strengths, including empathy, helpfulness, and consideration for others.

This multidimensional scope makes it an excellent standard measure for adolescents between 11 and 17 years old across primary, educational, and specialist clinical settings.

When and why to use it

Clinicians utilize the SDQ at various stages of care to efficiently triage, conceptualize, and monitor adolescent psychological health.

Intake screening: Establishing a reliable baseline across emotional and behavioral domains to guide initial case formulation.
Treatment planning: Identifying specific deficit areas, such as peer difficulties, which might warrant targeted interventions like social self-care activities.
Monitoring progress: Tracking symptomatic change dynamically, often supplementing in-session dialogue and between-session tools like a weekly behavioral review.
Evaluating coping skills: Detecting when internalizing symptoms rise, signaling a need to review adaptive vs maladaptive coping with the adolescent.
Highlighting resilience: Leveraging the prosocial scale to identify existing strengths that can serve as protective factors during therapy.

A validated SDQ profile adds objective, quantified severity markers to the clinician's qualitative observations, minimizing diagnostic blind spots and standardizing outcome measurement.

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The questions

For each statement, tick the box for "Not True", "Somewhat True" or "Certainly True". It would help us if you answered each statement as best you can, even if you are not absolutely sure. Please answer based on your experience over the last six months.
1. I try to be nice to other people. I care about their feelings.
Probes baseline empathy and the adolescent's conscious effort to consider others' emotional states.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
2. I am restless, I have trouble staying still.
Assesses physical overactivity and subjective difficulty remaining seated or calm.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
3. I often suffer from headaches, stomachaches, or nausea.
Screens for somatic manifestations often associated with underlying anxiety or psychological distress.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
4. I usually share with others (food, games, pens, etc.).
Evaluates cooperative prosocial behavior and the willingness to distribute personal resources.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
5. I get angry easily and often lose my temper.
Measures emotional dysregulation and the frequency of explosive, externalized anger.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
6. I am usually solitary. I tend to play alone or keep to myself.
Identifies tendencies toward social withdrawal or isolation from peer interactions.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
7. In general, I do what I'm told.
Captures general compliance with adult directives and adherence to expected rules.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
8. I worry a lot.
Assesses the presence of generalized anxious rumination and pervasive apprehension.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
9. I gladly help when someone has been hurt or is not feeling well.
Probes responsive empathy and the behavioral drive to comfort individuals in distress.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
10. I am restless or constantly squirming.
Evaluates observable motor restlessness and an inability to maintain physical stillness.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
11. I have at least one friend.
Screens for the presence of at least one secure, reciprocal peer relationship.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
12. I fight a lot. I can make others do what I want.
Assesses aggressive dominance, confrontational behavior, and coercive peer interactions.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
13. I am often unhappy, down, or I cry easily.
Measures core internalizing symptoms indicative of depressive affect and emotional pain.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
14. In general, people my age like me.
Evaluates the adolescent's perceived social acceptance and integration within their peer group.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
15. I am easily distracted, I have trouble concentrating.
Identifies vulnerabilities in sustained attention and susceptibility to external distractors.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
16. New situations make me anxious. I easily lose confidence in myself.
Captures situational anxiety, anticipatory apprehension, and fragile self-esteem.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
17. I am kind to younger children.
Probes the capacity for gentle, nurturing behavior toward more vulnerable individuals.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
18. I am often accused of lying or cheating.
Screens for deceitful behaviors and conflicts regarding honesty in social or academic settings.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
19. Kids my age pick on me or bully me.
Assesses experiences of peer victimization, bullying, and social vulnerability.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
20. Always ready to help others (parents, teachers, people my age).
Measures proactive prosocial engagement and the initiation of supportive actions across contexts.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
21. I think before I act.
Evaluates cognitive control and the presence of adaptive behavioral inhibition versus impulsivity.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
22. I take things that don't belong to me, at home, at school, or elsewhere.
Captures severe conduct issues related to theft and the violation of others' property rights.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
23. I get along better with adults than with people my age.
Identifies atypical socialization patterns where interactions with peers are more challenging than with adults.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
24. I have a lot of fears, I am easily scared.
Assesses the prevalence of specific phobic responses and a general susceptibility to fear.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True
25. I finish what I start. I concentrate well.
Measures task persistence, task completion, and the subjective quality of focused attention.
- Not True
- Somewhat True
- Certainly True