Aniftos, Michelle (2008) Screening Mental Health Risk in School Children: A critical review of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Coursework Masters thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Some aspects of the general health of Australian children have improved over recent years, however, indicators of mental health are of increasing concern (AIHW, 2006). The most current Australian population data comes from a 1998 parent survey (Sawyer, et al., 2001) which found that approximately 14% of children aged 4-12 years had mental health problems. This finding may under-estimate the true prevalence of mental disorders among Australian children given the Australian Bureau of Statistics did not assess for anxiety difficulties, which are among the most common psychological problems of childhood. When screened for twenty of the most prevalent disorders in childhood, more than 40% of primary school children reported significant mental health difficulties (Langsford, Houghton, Douglas, & Whiting, 2001). Do parents under-report or fail to recognise problems? Do children over-report or identify problems that parents overlook? How well do teachers recognise children at-risk of mental health problems? In an Australian study (Mellor, 2005), teachers reported approximately 23% of students aged 7-17 demonstrated elevated mental health risk. Of particular concern was a finding that only 25% of children identified as at-risk, access mental health services (Sawyer, et al., 2001). With increased mental health promotion of the last ten years, have these figures improved? Such information is particularly relevant at this time when state education policy in Queensland exhorts staff to recognise and support all students identified with mental health problems. The current study examined the utility of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ, Goodman, 1997), as a screener for mental health problems among Australian primary school children. Statistical analyses confirmed the reliability and validity of the SDQ. In line with the 1998 population survey, the current data indicates that approximately 14% of children demonstrate a high risk of mental health problems as indicated by SDQ ratings by teachers.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Coursework Masters) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Paul Bramston |
| Qualification: | Master of Psychology (Clinical) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Aug 2025 02:06 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Aug 2025 02:06 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52117 |
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