Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2026

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice
Published on: March 15, 2024
Effects of ADHD, conduct disorder, and gender on substance use and abuse in adolescence
E R Disney1, I J Elkins, M McGue
1Department of Psyhcology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455- 0344, USA.
Objective:
The relationships of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, and gender to substance abuse were studied in a large population-based sample of adolescent twins.
Method:
Structured interviews were administered to 626 pairs of 17-year-old twins (674 girls and 578 boys) and their mothers to generate lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, and computerized measures of current substance use were obtained. Hierarchical logit analyses were performed to assess the independent effects of ADHD, conduct disorder, and gender on current substance use, frequency of substance use, and DSM-III-R diagnoses of substance use disorders.
Results:
Conduct disorder was found to increase the risk of substance use and abuse in adolescents regardless of gender. In contrast, independent of its association with conduct disorder, an ADHD diagnosis did not significantly increase the risk of substance use problems.
Conclusions:
This study found no significant gender differences in the effects of ADHD and conduct disorder on substance use and abuse, although there was some suggestion that girls with ADHD might be at slightly higher risk than boys for substance abuse. In addition, increased risk of substance abuse among adolescents with conduct disorder may be primarily confined to those with persistent conduct disorder.
More Related Videos
10:02Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Published on: March 12, 2020
05:48The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Conduct Disorder
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Parental Influences on Gender Typing