Definition of Terms
Characteristics
Coexisting Conditions
Gender Prevalace

Gender Prevalence

According to Barkley (1998), the prevalence of ADHD between the genders varies significantly based on the amount of children being studied. However, the author states that:

the proportion of males versus females manifesting the disorder varies considerably across studies from 2:1 to 10:1 with an average of 6:1 most often cited for clinic-referred samples of children. However, epidemiological studies find the proportion ranging from 2.5:1 to 5.1:1 with an average of approximately 3.4:1 among non-referred children. The considerable higher rate of males among clinic samples of children to community surveys seem to be due to referral bias in that males are more likely than females to be aggressive and antisocial and such behavior is more likely to get a child referred to a psychiatric center. Hence more males than females with ADHD will get referred to such centers.  In support of this explanation are the findings that aggression occurs far more frequently in clinic-referred ADHD children than in those identified through epidemiological sampling (community surveys), that hyperactive girls identified in community surveys are often less aggressive than hyperactive boys, but that girls who are seen in psychiatric clinics are likely to as aggressive as boys with ADHD.  even so, males remain more likely to manifest ADHD than girls in community-based samples, suggesting that there may be some gender-linked mechanism involved in the expression of the disorder (p. 85).

As a result, the author maintains that more males than females with ADHD will get referred to centers of this nature. To support these findings Barkley (1998) states that aggression occurs far more frequently in clinic-referred ADHD children than in those identified through epidemiological sampling (community surveys), and that hyperactive girls identified in community surveys are often less aggressive than hyperactive boys. However, girls who are seen in psychiatric clinics are likely to be as aggressive as boys with ADHD.