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Roughly 6% of girls in the U.S. are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the pattern of comorbid psychopathology in girls is not well described, and most studies tend to emphasize the presence of internalizing disorders, such as depression. Investigators performed a meta-analysis to assess rates of anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder among girls with and without ADHD. The analysis included 18 studies involving almost 2000 girls (77% white; mean age range, 8.5–13.5 years).
Among the findings were the following:
Oppositional defiant disorder was diagnosed in 42% of girls with ADHD versus 5% without ADHD (odds ratio, 11.9). After adjusting for potential biases (e.g., publication…