Gender differences in the comorbidity of neurological and psychological disorders in a large clinical sample of children

Abstract

This study aimed to establish rates and gender patterns of 25 comorbidities in 1912 children (72% male) with a neurological disorder and a comparison group (n = 40 718, 45% male) from a large clinical records data-set in child mental health services in the UK with clinician-recorded data on neurological and psychological conditions. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, oppositional defiant/conduct disorders, autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities (also known in UK health services as learning disabilities) occurred significantly more often in both boys and girls with neurological disorders than in the comparison group. Girls with neurological disorders showed a 'male-typic' comorbidity profile.

Keywords: Neurological disorder; comorbidity; gender; multimorbidity; psychological disorder.

Fig. 1

Rates of psychological disorders in the neurological disorder group and comparison group separately by gender. The findings suggest that the eight symptom domains in the grey shaded area are specifically comorbid with neurological disorders. The remaining disorders are coexisting disorders and occur at increased rates in the clinical comparison sample. PDD, pervasive developmental disorder; OCD, obsessive–compulsive disorder; ODD, oppositional defiant disorder; ADHD, attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder; PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.