This narrative review, an update of the author's 2008 review, gathered no new data. It drew on published studies of boys, girls, men and women with ADHD from clinics, communities and long-term follow-ups. It does not report a total sample size, a search method or rules for choosing studies.
The review reports only small differences. Girls with ADHD were more often diagnosed with the mainly inattentive type than boys. Teen girls with ADHD had lower confidence in their own abilities and weaker coping than teen boys. Depression and anxiety may be higher, and physical aggression lower, in girls and women. Men with ADHD appear to be jailed more often than women.
The review says available data suggest treatments likely work equally well for both sexes. But gender has rarely been tested as a factor in treatment results. Only one study was large enough to test it for talk and behavior therapies, and most of its sample was male (80%). Females with ADHD were also less likely to be referred for treatment. In one study, few girls with ADHD were prescribed medication (6%). Among boys with ADHD, the share was much higher (47%).
The author notes that many studies were small. Clinic samples may hide true differences, since only girls with serious problems may be referred.
The author suggests that clinicians tailor treatment to ADHD type, impairment and co-occurring conditions rather than gender, and that future studies include both sexes equally.
Source: Rucklidge J. Gender Differences in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America (2010). doi:10.1016/j.psc.2010.01.006