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SDQ-60 Child Behavior Questionnaire: Strengths and Development3

SDQ-60 Child Behavior Questionnaire: Strengths and Development

Mornings, homework, screens and bedtime say a lot about how your child is doing. The SDQ-60 child behavior questionnaire asks 60 quick questions and shows a behavior challenge level from 0 to 100, the areas that weigh most and the bright sides that help. It takes about 8 minutes.

Questions: 608 minutes

SDQ-60 Child Behavior Questionnaire: boy holding his sneaker

October 20, 2026October 20, 2026Material has been updatedOctober 20, 2026Material has been published

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1,696 completions

1,114 likes

Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

1,114 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Behavior challenge levelBcl

How much of family life hard moments take up right now, from 0 to 100.

example score41/100

41/100Some rough patchesexample score

0 – 30Easy-going

31 – 57Some rough patches

58 – 100A lot on their plate

Your child's behavior challenge level is 41 out of 100: Some rough patches.

Emotional stormsEs

Big reactions to small frustrations and slow cool-downs.

example score13/30

13/30Moderateexample score

0 – 9Low

10 – 17Moderate

18 – 30High

Your child's score is 13 out of 30: Moderate.

Worries and low moodWalm

Need for reassurance, bedtime worry and a fading spark.

example score13/30

13/30Moderateexample score

0 – 9Low

10 – 17Moderate

18 – 30High

Your child's score is 13 out of 30: Moderate.

Focus and impulseFai

Half-done requests, lost time and racing ahead.

example score13/30

13/30Moderateexample score

0 – 9Low

10 – 17Moderate

18 – 30High

Your child's score is 13 out of 30: Moderate.

PushbackP

Arguing, negotiating and testing limits.

example score13/30

13/30Moderateexample score

0 – 9Low

10 – 17Moderate

18 – 30High

Your child's score is 13 out of 30: Moderate.

Friendship strugglesFs

Being left out, friction and short-lived friendships.

example score13/30

13/30Moderateexample score

0 – 9Low

10 – 17Moderate

18 – 30High

Your child's score is 13 out of 30: Moderate.

Bright sidesBs

Curiosity, enthusiasm and bounce-back that carry your child.

example score21/30

21/30Shiningexample score

0 – 10Quiet for now

11 – 20Showing up

21 – 30Shining

Your child's score is 21 out of 30: Shining.

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Worried about outbursts

40%OF USERS

Small things set off big reactions, and you want to know why.

Something feels off

34%OF USERS

Your child seems quieter, more worried or more alone than before.

Checking in

26%OF USERS

Things are mostly fine, and you want a clear picture of where your child stands.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Behavior challenge levelBcl

You?

Average34.7

Typical rangeTypical24.8 – 44.6

Possible0 – 100

Emotional stormsEs

You?

Average11

Typical rangeTypical7 – 15

Possible0 – 30

Worries and low moodWalm

You?

Average10

Typical rangeTypical6 – 14

Possible0 – 30

Focus and impulseFai

You?

Average12

Typical rangeTypical8 – 16

Possible0 – 30

PushbackP

You?

Average11

Typical rangeTypical7 – 15

Possible0 – 30

Friendship strugglesFs

You?

Average8

Typical rangeTypical4.6 – 11.4

Possible0 – 30

Bright sidesBs

You?

Average19

Typical rangeTypical15.6 – 22.4

Possible0 – 30

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Each statement describes something your child might do at home, at school or with friends. Think about the last month and choose how often it happens: rarely or never, sometimes, often or very often. Some statements describe calm, easy moments, so read each one to the end. Go with your first impression: there are no right or wrong answers, and the whole questionnaire takes about eight minutes.

- Rarely or never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
- Rarely or never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
- Rarely or never
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often

These are 3 of the 60 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

SDQ-60 Child Behavior Questionnaire: Strengths and Development - Description and methodology of the test

adaptation

deviations

Some weeks your child sails through mornings and homework, and some weeks every small request turns into a battle. This child behavior questionnaire helps you see which pattern you are living with and where it comes from. You answer about everyday scenes you already know well, from bedtime to car rides. Parents often look for a behavior test for kids to name what they see at home.

What the questionnaire measures

The headline result is a behavior challenge level from 0 to 100. It adds up five areas, each covered by ten questions. Emotional storms are the outbursts and the long cool-downs after a disappointment. Worries and low mood cover the need for reassurance, sleepless evenings before a big day and a fading interest in favorite activities. Focus and impulse look at forgotten requests, lost time and answers that come before the question ends. Pushback measures arguing, bargaining and testing limits. Friendship struggles cover being left out and falling-outs with other kids. If you came looking for a child emotional problems test, the first two areas speak to that most directly. A sixth scale, bright sides, stays separate: curiosity, cheering for others and bouncing back after a bad day.

How the SDQ-60 works and how to read it

There are 60 short statements about your child, and most parents finish in about eight minutes. For each one you pick how often it happens: rarely or never, sometimes, often or very often. Eighteen statements describe calm, easy moments, so a fast run of identical answers cannot tilt the result. Think of the last month rather than one hard day. Your result includes:

the behavior challenge level, labelled from easy-going to a lot on their plate;
the two areas that weigh most right now and the lightest one;
your child's bright sides as a separate score;
a comparison with other parents who answered.

Parents searching for an SDQ test usually find the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a short form with 25 items, while the SDQ-60 is a separate questionnaire with 60 questions of its own and frequency answers. Read the five areas side by side. High pushback next to high worry tells a very different story from pushback alone.

Literature:

Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. H., & Howell, C. T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101(2), 213-232.
Eisenberg, N., Spinrad, T. L., & Eggum, N. D. (2010). Emotion-related self-regulation and its relation to children's maladjustment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 6, 495-525.
Polanczyk, G. V., Salum, G. A., Sugaya, L. S., Caye, A., & Rohde, L. A. (2015). Annual research review: A meta-analysis of the worldwide prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(3), 345-365.

Updated: 2026-10-20