2026-10-10T09:24:11Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33999948 2026-09-25T17:47:07Z category_21 category_873 category_734 category_106 portal_5 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

<p>The characteristics of the 4-Factor solution.</p> Mohammed B. A. Sarhan (19838131) Rula Ghandour (506377) Weeam Hammoudeh (14232096) Biotechnology Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Science Policy structure &# 160 refugee settings understand provide additional evaluation latent factorial structure especially among refugees final analysis based factor solution provided exploratory factor analysis confirmatory factor analysis best overall fit item alternative might difficulties among children sdq &# 8217 exploring psychometric properties palestine refugee camps jordan </ p study included 2 psychometric properties study aims overall difficulties xlink "> west bank weak correlation suggested alternatives prosocial behavior original five internal consistency final three difficulties questionnaire current form conduct problems better alternative assessing emotional adequate substitute 776 ). 725 participants 5 well 245 ). 110 ), 033 ). <div> <p>Background</p><p>The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a commonly used screening instrument for assessing emotional and behavioral strengths and difficulties among children and adolescents. However, although the SDQ’s psychometric properties have been tested extensively in the literature, its current form is under debate as to whether it is suitable as a tool to assess adolescent mental health, especially among refugees. Therefore, this study aims to validate the SDQ scale among Adolescent Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Palestine, and Jordan.</p> <p>Methods</p><p>The psychometric properties of the original SDQ and other suggested alternatives were tested. First, construct validity for the original SDQ was tested through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Then, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to evaluate the latent factorial structure for suggested alternatives, followed by CFA to provide additional evaluation of each alternative. Then, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity were assessed. Finally, the internal consistency and reliability were assessed using multiple tests.</p> <p>Results</p><p>This study included 2,828 adolescent girls living in Palestine refugee camps in the West Bank and Jordan. Of these, 2,725 participants were included in the final analysis based on completion of the SDQ. CFA indicated that the original five-factor SDQ demonstrated poor fit in this sample (CFI/TLI < 0.40; RMSEA = 0.081; SRMR = 0.110), with several items showing low standardized loadings. EFA and CFA analyses supported alternative factorial structures. A four-factor model showed acceptable fit (CFI = 0.896; RMSEA = 0.040; SRMR = 0.039) after removing poorly performing items, but a three-factor solution provided the best overall fit (CFI = 0.942; TLI = 0.930; RMSEA = 0.034; SRMR = 0.033). The final three-factor model retained 15 items representing Emotional Symptoms, Prosocial behavior, and Conduct Problems. The weak correlation between the difficulties did not support convergent validity score and WHO-5 well-being (r = −0.245). Criterion validity analyses showed acceptable discrimination for overall difficulties (AUC = 0.776). Reliability analyses indicated adequate internal consistency for the composite difficulties scale (α = 0.71).</p> <p>Conclusion</p><p>The original SDQ structure validity and reliability were not supported for use among Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Jordan. Instead, the 3-factor and 15-item alternative might be a better alternative, given its superior model fit indices and construct validity. However, it still had limitations in reliability and convergent validity, making it far from being an adequate substitute for the original SDQ. Contexts, culture, and the surrounding environment might influence how adolescents in refugee settings understand, interpret, and respond to SDQ items.</p></div> 2026-09-25T17:46:50Z Dataset Dataset 10.1371/journal.pone.0349999.t005 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_p_The_characteristics_of_the_4-Factor_solution_p_/33999948 CC BY 4.0