The study had the objective of exploring the feasibility of using the self-report SDQ-Y （youth version of strengths and difficulties questionnaire） to assess the emotional and behavioural well being of adolescents i...The study had the objective of exploring the feasibility of using the self-report SDQ-Y （youth version of strengths and difficulties questionnaire） to assess the emotional and behavioural well being of adolescents in Zambia. This was a cross sectional study of Lusaka school children （n = 420） aged 11-15 years using the self-report SDQ-Y and a demographic questionnaire. It was found that compared to a UK normative sample, Zambian adolescents were almost twice as likely to have total difficulties scores in the abnormal range （O.R. 1.9）. It was found that there was a significant difference in the total SDQ scores （Z = -2.67, P = 0.008） with children reporting health problems having significantly higher scores. Children reporting health problems also had significantly more emotional problems （Z = -2.78, P = 0.005）. There was a trend for children with health problems to score higher on the hyperactivity scale （Z = -1.9 P = 0.053）. The internal consistency of SDQ subscales ranged from low to moderate. It can be concluded that SDQ is a useful instrument for use with Zambian adolescents, in particular, the total difficulties score and the emotional difficulties score performed well in this sample and could potentially be used to screen for mental health problems or to examine the impact of interventions.展开更多
文摘The study had the objective of exploring the feasibility of using the self-report SDQ-Y （youth version of strengths and difficulties questionnaire） to assess the emotional and behavioural well being of adolescents in Zambia. This was a cross sectional study of Lusaka school children （n = 420） aged 11-15 years using the self-report SDQ-Y and a demographic questionnaire. It was found that compared to a UK normative sample, Zambian adolescents were almost twice as likely to have total difficulties scores in the abnormal range （O.R. 1.9）. It was found that there was a significant difference in the total SDQ scores （Z = -2.67, P = 0.008） with children reporting health problems having significantly higher scores. Children reporting health problems also had significantly more emotional problems （Z = -2.78, P = 0.005）. There was a trend for children with health problems to score higher on the hyperactivity scale （Z = -1.9 P = 0.053）. The internal consistency of SDQ subscales ranged from low to moderate. It can be concluded that SDQ is a useful instrument for use with Zambian adolescents, in particular, the total difficulties score and the emotional difficulties score performed well in this sample and could potentially be used to screen for mental health problems or to examine the impact of interventions.
