'Conduct disorder' and ADHD in girls

Conduct disorder (bad behaviour) in girls is a serious concern and a study using officialy-defined criteria found that 7.1% of women can be diagnosed as having it over the course of their lifetime. Girls with conduct disorder have been found to be at higher risk of arrest, teenage pregnancy and academic failure. There has been a lot of research into the links between conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in boys but much less research into the links between the two conditions in girls. A 5-year study of 262 girls in the U.S. found that ADHD was a significant risk factor for conduct disorder in childhood and adolescence. Among the girls with ADHD childhood conduct disorder was predicted by paternal antisocial personality disorder while adolescent behaviour problems were predicted by family conflict. Conduct disorder significantly predicted academic, psychiatric and sexual behaviour problems in girls with ADHD.

Monuteaux, Michael C. ... [et al] - Predictors, clinical characteristics, and outcome of conduct disorder in girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder : a longitudinal study Psychological Medicine 37(12), 1731-1741