Article2014

Gender–age interaction in incidence rates of childhood emotional disorders

Rikke Thaarup Wesselhoeft · Carsten Bøcker Pedersen · Preben Bo Mortensen · Ole N Mors · Niels Bilenberg

52 citations0/0 files storedPsychological Medicine

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Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Mental Health Treatment and Access

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The post-pubertal association of female gender with emotional disorder is a robust finding. However, studies exploring the association of gender and emotional disorders before puberty are few and present diverging results. The aim of this study was to present gender-specific incidence rates of emotional disorders throughout childhood. METHOD: This is a population-based cohort study of 907,806 Danish 3- to 18-year-olds. The outcome was assignment of an emotional disorder diagnosis based on in-patient and out-patient data from The Danish Psychiatric Central Register. Outcome measures were incidence rates and cumulative incidences for unipolar depressive disorder (ICD-10: F32-F33), anxiety disorders (ICD-10: F40-F42), and emotional disorders with onset specific to childhood (ICD-10: F93). RESULTS: Pre-pubertal incidence rates for depressive and anxiety disorders were higher for boys than girls. At age 12 years the pattern reversed. The cumulative incidence for any emotional disorder (F32-F33, F40-F42, F93) on the 11th birthday was 0.52% (95% CI 0.50-0.55) for boys and 0.31% (95% CI 0.29-0.33) for girls. On the 19th birthday cumulative incidence was 2.33% (95% CI 2.24-2.43) for boys and 3.77% (95% CI 3.64-3.90) for girls. The pre-pubertal male preponderance was also significant for depressive disorders (F32-F33, p = 0.00144) and anxiety disorders (F40-F42, F93, p < 0.00001) separately. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional disorders seem to display a male preponderance before the age of 12 years and a female preponderance thereafter. Studies exploring this gender-age interaction are needed. Still, the results question the general assumption that females throughout the lifespan are more at risk for emotional disorders than males.

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2003Prevalence and Development of Psychiatric Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence 2012Depression in adolescence 2011The Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register 1987DSM-III Disorders in Preadolescent Children 2000Adolescent Onset of the Gender Difference in Lifetime Rates of Major Depression 2003The British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey 1999: The Prevalence of DSM-IV Disorders 2000Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorder: A Review of the Past 10 Years, Part I 2009Prevalence and Treatment of Mental Disorders Among US Children in the 2001–2004 NHANES

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