The prevalence of conduct disorders among young people in europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction This systematic review estimates the pooled prevalence (PP) of Conduct Disorder (CD) among 5-to-18-year-old YP living in Europe, based on prevalence rates established in the last five years (LFY). Objectives Trends of prevalence rates across countries, gender and level of education were analysed. The random effects pooled prevalence rate (REPPR) for CD was calculated. Methods A search strategy was conducted on three databases. Studies were also identified from reference lists and grey literature. Eligible studies were evaluated for reliability, validity and bias, and REPPRs were calculated. Results The European REPPR for CD is calculated at 1.5% (Figure1). The REPPR among males is 1.8% whereas the rate among females is 1.0% (Figure2). The prevalence rate of CD in primary school children is 1.4 times lower than the prevalence of secondary school children. Conclusions Gender, culture and socioeconomic inequality may contribute towards diagnostic inequality and prevalence differences. It is recommended that these aspects are addressed, and routine screening and early intervention services are developed. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Keywords

• Child
• adolescent
• Conduct
• prevalence