Peer-reviewed article
The prevalence of conduct disorders among young people in europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Sacco R, Camilleri N, Umla-Runge K ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review examined the prevalence of Conduct Disorder among young people aged 5 to 18 years across Europe, combining data from studies published in the last five years. The pooled prevalence rate across Europe is estimated at 1.5%, with higher rates among males (1.8%) compared to females (1.0%). Children in secondary school have higher prevalence rates than those in primary school. The review suggests that gender, culture and socioeconomic factors may explain variations in prevalence rates across different European countries.
Key points
- European pooled prevalence rate of Conduct Disorder is 1.5% among 5-18 year-olds
- Males have higher prevalence (1.8%) than females (1.0%)
- Conduct Disorder is 1.4 times more prevalent in secondary school children than primary school children
- Gender, culture and socioeconomic inequality may contribute to diagnostic inequality and prevalence differences
- Early intervention services and routine screening are recommended
Limitations
This is a prevalence review that does not evaluate any intervention; it can only tell us how common Conduct Disorder is estimated to be in Europe, not what causes it or how to treat it effectively. The review does not provide information on the effectiveness of different approaches to screening or intervention.
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.